Factors Associated with HIV Testing Among Public Sector Clinic Attendees in Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

Uptake of VCT remains low in many sub-Saharan African countries. Men and women aged 15 and older were recruited from a family planning, STI, and VCT clinic in inner-city Johannesburg between 2004 and 2005 to take part in a cross-sectional survey on HIV testing (n = 198). Fourty-eight percent of participants reported previously testing for HIV and, of these, 86.9% reported disclosing their status to their sex partner. In multivariable analyses, individuals whose partners had been tested for HIV were more likely to have tested (AOR 2.92; 95% CI: 1.38-6.20). In addition, those who reported greater blame/ shame attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS were less likely to have tested (AOR 0.35; 95% CI: 0.16-0.77) while those reporting more equitable attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS were more likely to have tested (AOR 2.87; 95% CI: 1.20-6.86). Promotion of and increased access to couples HIV testing should be made available within the South African context. Abstract Uptake of VCT remains low in many subSaharan African countries. Men and women aged 15 and older were recruited from a family planning, STI, and VCT clinic in inner-city Johannesburg between 2004 and 2005 to take part in a cross-sectional survey on HIV testing (n = 198). Fourty-eight percent of participants reported previously testing for HIV and, of these, 86.9% reported disclosing their status to their sex partner. In multivariable analyses, individuals whose partners had been tested for HIV were more likely to have tested (AOR 2.92; 95% CI: 1.38-6.20). In addition, those who reported greater blame/ shame attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS were less likely to have tested (AOR 0.35; 95% CI: 0.16-0.77) while those reporting more equitable attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS were more likely to have tested (AOR 2.87; 95% CI: 1.20-6.86). Promotion of and increased access to couples HIV testing should be made available within the South African context.

Social Network Influence on HIV Testing Among Urban Men in Tanzania

“…Like other studies, we found that men who perceived higher levels of HIV stigma in their networks were less likely to have HIV tested [35, 52]. This suggests that despite efforts to reduce HIV stigma in Tanzania, the negative influence of HIV stigma on testing persists [53].…”

Socioeconomic Gradients in Internalized Stigma Among 4,314 Persons with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…Persons who did not provide consent for HIV testing were wealthier and more educated [85–87]. HIV stigma is also a well known barrier to uptake of HIV testing in general [88–90]. Furthermore, longitudinal data from the Malawi Diffusion and Ideational Change Project (MDICP) showed that persons who tested positive for HIV and received their results were less likely to consent to repeat testing in subsequent waves of the survey [91], and failure to adjust for selection bias has been shown to yield underestimates of national HIV prevalence [87,92].…”

Periconception HIV Risk Behavior Among Men and Women Reporting HIV-Serodiscordant Partners in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

“…Misconceptions around serodiscordance are well-documented in South Africa (83,84), and commonly lead to the practice of testing by proxy (85), which precludes opportunities to reduce sexual risk-taking that accompanies awareness of serodiscordant status (86). Other concerning knowledge gaps identified included that almost half of women reported that a woman is protected from HIV if her partner is circumcised.…”