Methods

This was a qualitative study with 34 men and six women from the general population; health policymakers, reproductive health providers, and clergies were collected in two large cities of Iran, including Tehran and Mashhad, in 2015 through individual in-depth interviews. Participants were chosen through purposive sampling. In-depth individual interviews were conducted to collect data. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and using data analysis through conventional qualitative content analysis. Data were analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis with MAXqda.

Results

The data analysis resulted in the development of four themes and 10 categories. The themes were “men’s educational empowerment,”“appropriate sociocultural background with advocacy,”“organizing sexual needs based on sexual ethics, religious doctrine and women’s empowerment,” and “meeting men’s preventive, caring and welfare needs.”

Conclusion

Because men’s reproductive health is intertwined with public health, data collected regarding men’s healthcare needs with the consideration of social and cultural factors can be used for designing strategies for reducing the incidence/prevalence rates of STDs and HIV/AIDS.