TY - JOUR
T1 - Identifying HIV most-at-risk groups in Malawi for targeted interventions.
AU - Emina, Jacques
AU - Nyovani, Madise
AU - Kuepie, Mathias
AU - ZULU, Eliya
PY - 2013/1/1
Y1 - 2013/1/1
N2 - ObjectivesTo identify HIV-socioeconomic predictors as well as the most-at-risk groups of women in Malawi.DesignA cross-sectional survey.SettingMalawiParticipantsThe study used a sample of 6395 women aged 15–49 years from the 2010 Malawi Health and Demographic Surveys.InterventionsN/APrimary and secondary outcome measuresIndividual HIV status: positive or not.ResultsFindings from the Pearson χ2 and χ2 Automatic Interaction Detector analyses revealed that marital status is the most significant predictor of HIV. Women who are no longer in union and living in the highest wealth quintiles households constitute the most-at-risk group, whereas the less-at-risk group includes young women (15–24) never married or in union and living in rural areas.ConclusionsIn the light of these findings, this study recommends: (1) that the design and implementation of targeted interventions should consider the magnitude of HIV prevalence and demographic size of most-at-risk groups. Preventive interventions should prioritise couples and never married people aged 25–49 years and living in rural areas because this group accounts for 49% of the study population and 40% of women living with HIV in Malawi; (2) with reference to treatment and care, higher priority must be given to promoting HIV test, monitoring and evaluation of equity in access to treatment among women in union disruption and never married or women in union aged 30–49 years and living in urban areas; (3) community health workers, households-based campaign, reproductive-health services and reproductive-health courses at school could be used as canons to achieve universal prevention strategy, testing, counselling and treatment
AB - ObjectivesTo identify HIV-socioeconomic predictors as well as the most-at-risk groups of women in Malawi.DesignA cross-sectional survey.SettingMalawiParticipantsThe study used a sample of 6395 women aged 15–49 years from the 2010 Malawi Health and Demographic Surveys.InterventionsN/APrimary and secondary outcome measuresIndividual HIV status: positive or not.ResultsFindings from the Pearson χ2 and χ2 Automatic Interaction Detector analyses revealed that marital status is the most significant predictor of HIV. Women who are no longer in union and living in the highest wealth quintiles households constitute the most-at-risk group, whereas the less-at-risk group includes young women (15–24) never married or in union and living in rural areas.ConclusionsIn the light of these findings, this study recommends: (1) that the design and implementation of targeted interventions should consider the magnitude of HIV prevalence and demographic size of most-at-risk groups. Preventive interventions should prioritise couples and never married people aged 25–49 years and living in rural areas because this group accounts for 49% of the study population and 40% of women living with HIV in Malawi; (2) with reference to treatment and care, higher priority must be given to promoting HIV test, monitoring and evaluation of equity in access to treatment among women in union disruption and never married or women in union aged 30–49 years and living in urban areas; (3) community health workers, households-based campaign, reproductive-health services and reproductive-health courses at school could be used as canons to achieve universal prevention strategy, testing, counselling and treatment
U2 - 10.1136/bmjopen-2012-002459
DO - 10.1136/bmjopen-2012-002459
M3 - Article
SN - 2044-6055
VL - 3
JO - BMJ Open
JF - BMJ Open
IS - 5
M1 - e002459
ER -