Although age and gender significantly affect access to sexual health services, adherence to gender norms does not influence access to sexual health or STI/HIV services in the Marrakech-Safi region of Morocco.
Men had a significantly lower probability of accessing sexual health services compared to women.
Individuals aged under 30 years faced greater barriers to accessing sexual health services.
No significant association was found between adherence to gender norms and access to either sexual health services or STI/HIV services.
Sociodemographic variables did not show significant effects on the accessibility of STI/HIV services specifically.
The study used a convenience sampling method with 632 adults from the Marrakech-Safi region of Morocco.
This research investigated what factors affect whether people in the Marrakech-Safi region of Morocco access sexual health services and services related to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. The researchers surveyed 632 adults and analyzed whether factors like gender norms (social beliefs about how men and women should behave), age, and sex were linked to whether people used these health services. Contrary to what has been found in other parts of the world, holding traditional gender norms did not appear to reduce or increase a person's likelihood of accessing either sexual health or STI/HIV services in this region. However, the study did find that being male and being under 30 years old were both independently associated with lower odds of accessing sexual health services. Specifically, men were about 58% less likely than women to access sexual health services, and people under 30 were about 61% less likely than older individuals to access them. Interestingly, these age and gender differences did not extend to STI/HIV-specific services, where no sociodemographic factors reached statistical significance. This research suggests that in this specific region of Morocco, public health efforts to improve access to sexual health services should pay particular attention to young people and men, who appear to face distinct barriers. The finding that gender norms did not play a role — unlike in many other settings — points to the importance of tailoring health strategies to local social and cultural contexts rather than assuming universal barriers apply everywhere. The authors call for dedicated public health strategies, policy reforms, and educational initiatives to address these gaps.
Ouahid H, Mansoury O, Sebbani M, Cherkaoui M, Amine M, Adarmouch L. (2025). Associated factors with the access to sexual health and STI/HIV services for individuals aged 18 and older in the Marrakech-Safi region of Morocco: a cross-sectional study.. BMC health services research. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-13094-w