Table 1. Summary table of effect estimates from random effects meta-analysis for seven risk factors.
| Exposure | Group | n | Summary OR (95%CI) | I2 (%) | X2 p | Tau2 | p |
| Male circumcision | Overall | 13 | 0.57 (0.44,0.73) | 44.5 | 0.042 | 0.072 | 0.04 |
| or muslim religion | Males | 9 | 0.66 (0.53,0.83) | 24.4 | 0.227 | 0.026 | |
| Females | 3 | 0.4 (0.18,0.93) | 42.2 | 0.177 | 0.226 | ||
| High-risk group | 6 | 0.63 (0.46,0.85) | 53.8 | 0.055 | 0.066 | ||
| Gen. pop. | 7 | 0.48 (0.31,0.74) | 33.0 | 0.176 | 0.106 | ||
| High-risk males group | 4 | 0.72 (0.56,0.92) | 21.3 | 0.283 | 0.015 | ||
| Gen. males pop. | 5 | 0.56 (0.36,0.87) | 27.7 | 0.237 | 0.068 | ||
| High-risk females group | 1 | 0.67 (0.35,1.3) | . | . | . | ||
| Gen. females pop. | 2 | 0.23 (0.1,0.58) | 0.0 | 0.795 | 0.000 | ||
| Multiple sexual | Overall | 24 | 2.46 (1.98,3.06) | 84.8 | <0.0001 | 0.190 | 0.05 |
| partners | Males | 11 | 2.46 (1.91,3.17) | 72.4 | <0.0001 | 0.110 | |
| Females | 10 | 2.02 (1.43,2.87) | 78.0 | <0.0001 | 0.193 | ||
| High-risk group | 13 | 1.85 (1.44,2.37) | 85.5 | <0.0001 | 0.138 | ||
| Gen. pop. | 11 | 3.6 (2.58,5.01) | 69.0 | <0.0001 | 0.189 | ||
| High-risk males group | 6 | 2.2 (1.51,3.2) | 78.6 | <0.0001 | 0.140 | ||
| Gen. males pop. | 5 | 2.85 (1.9,4.26) | 68.6 | 0.013 | 0.137 | ||
| High-risk females group | 5 | 1.33 (1.07,1.64) | 38.0 | 0.168 | 0.022 | ||
| Gen. females pop. | 5 | 4.05 (2.56,6.41) | 27.9 | 0.235 | 0.076 | ||
| Paid sex | Males | 9 | 1.96 (1.31,2.94) | 67.6 | 0.002 | 0.202 | 0.29 |
| Females | 2 | 6.46 (4.64,9.01) | 0.0 | 0.659 | 0.000 | . | |
| High-risk males group | 6 | 1.82 (1.14,2.9) | 76.2 | 0.001 | 0.217 | ||
| Gen. males pop. | 3 | 2.67 (1.23,5.82) | 8.1 | 0.337 | 0.040 | ||
| High-risk females group | 1 | 6.36 (4.53,8.94) | . | . | . | ||
| Gen. females pop. | 1 | 9.12 (1.92,43.38) | . | . | . | ||
| HSV-2 | Overall | 11 | 5.6 (3.37,9.33) | 92.2 | <0.0001 | 0.634 | 0.92 |
| Males | 5 | 5.87 (2.46,14.03) | 93.0 | <0.0001 | 0.857 | ||
| Females | 5 | 6.44 (3.22,12.86) | 87.9 | <0.0001 | 0.513 | ||
| High-risk group | 7 | 3.98 (2.79,5.68) | 76.9 | <0.0001 | 0.161 | ||
| Gen. pop. | 4 | 12.64 (7.32,21.81) | 68.4 | 0.023 | 0.184 | ||
| High-risk males group | 3 | 3.8 (2.83,5.12) | 14.9 | 0.309 | 0.013 | ||
| Gen. males pop. | 2 | 15 (6.66,33.79) | 57.4 | 0.126 | 0.222 | ||
| High-risk females group | 3 | 5.33 (2.75,10.36) | 79.3 | 0.008 | 0.270 | ||
| Gen. females pop. | 2 | 8.14 (1.72,38.5) | 83.6 | 0.014 | 1.070 | ||
| Gonorrhea | Overall | 3 | 1.63 (1.15,2.3) | 23.6 | 0.270 | 0.022 | 0.16 |
| Males | 1 | 1.92 (1.23,2.99) | . | . | . | ||
| Females | 2 | 1.42 (0.81,2.49) | 46.6 | 0.171 | 0.078 | ||
| High-risk group | 3 | 1.63 (1.15,2.3) | 23.6 | 0.270 | 0.022 | ||
| High-risk males group | 1 | 1.92 (1.23,2.99) | . | . | . | ||
| High-risk females group | 2 | 1.42 (0.81,2.49) | 46.6 | 0.171 | 0.078 | ||
| Syphilis | Overall | 22 | 4.12 (2.35,7.25) | 97.6 | <0.0001 | 1.672 | 0.34 |
| Males | 9 | 4 (2.09,7.63) | 93.2 | <0.0001 | 0.821 | ||
| Females | 10 | 4.56 (1.92,10.85) | 98.2 | <0.0001 | 1.845 | ||
| High-risk group | 16 | 2.54 (1.99,3.23) | 70.1 | <0.0001 | 0.135 | ||
| Gen. pop. | 6 | 13.58 (7.1,25.98) | 95.1 | <0.0001 | 0.553 | ||
| High-risk males group | 7 | 3.04 (1.84,5.01) | 86.2 | <0.0001 | 0.345 | ||
| Gen. males pop. | 2 | 15.54 (10,24.14) | 0.0 | 0.325 | 0.000 | ||
| High-risk females group | 7 | 2.03 (1.69,2.42) | 0.0 | 0.810 | 0.000 | ||
| Gen. females pop. | 3 | 22.12 (10.82,45.22) | 96.1 | <0.0001 | 0.371 | ||
| History of | Overall | 14 | 2.28 (1.7,3.07) | 86.7 | <0.0001 | 0.233 | 0.19 |
| genital ulcer | Males | 5 | 2.24 (1.27,3.94) | 77.5 | 0.001 | 0.276 | |
| Females | 6 | 2.26 (1.19,4.28) | 90.4 | <0.0001 | 0.562 | ||
| High-risk group | 10 | 2.39 (1.73,3.31) | 87.7 | <0.0001 | 0.210 | ||
| Gen. pop. | 5 | 1.95 (0.78,4.85) | 86.0 | <0.0001 | 0.671 | ||
| High-risk males group | 3 | 2.57 (1.34,4.91) | 83.3 | 0.002 | 0.265 | ||
| Gen. males pop. | 2 | 1.93 (0.28,13.3) | 76.2 | 0.040 | 1.510 | ||
| High-risk females group | 5 | 2.61 (1.25,5.45) | 91.8 | <0.0001 | 0.631 | ||
| Gen. females pop. | 1 | 1.12 (0.64,1.95) | . | . | . | ||
Footnote:
n = number of studies; Results of random effects meta-analysis; p = p-value for Egger's test for publication bias.