HIV testing uptake and determinants among adolescents and young people in Burundi: a cross-sectional analysis of the Demographic and Health Survey 2016–2017

Abstract

ObjectivesTo assess HIV testing uptake and its determinants among adolescents and young adults.DesignCross-sectional design involving analysis of 2016 Demographic and Health Survey data.SettingNationally representative survey of Burundi.ParticipantsA total of 7218 young women and 2860 young men were included.Primary and secondary outcomeWe estimated the proportion of adolescent (15–19 years) and young adult (20–24 years) women and men who had tested for HIV and received results in the 12 months preceding the survey. Multivariable logistic models for determining predictors of HIV testing uptake were fitted among respondents aged 15–24 regardless of sexual activity in the 12 months before the survey and separately among a subset that reporting having had sex in the 12 months preceding the survey.ResultsAn estimated 27.1% (95% CI 25.8% to 28.4%) women and 16.6% (95% CI 15.1% to 18.1%) men had tested for HIV and received results in the 12 months preceding the survey. The proportion was more than twice as high among those aged 20–24 years compared with 15–19 years, among both sexes. In multivariable analysis, older age (20–24 years) was associated with HIV testing (adjusted OR (aOR): 1.62, 95% CI 1.38 to 1.91) among women; (aOR: 1.78, 95% CI 1.32 to 2.40) among men. Higher educational level (aOR: 1.40, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.76) was significantly associated with HIV testing uptake among women. Male circumcision status, condom use, number of sex partners, history of STIs were not associated with HIV testing among the subset that reported having had sex in the 12 months preceding the survey.ConclusionDespite the interventions implemented to reach the 90-90-90 UNAIDS goals, HIV testing among youth in Burundi was low. Youth-friendly health centres should be part of strategies to stimulate young people to increase uptake of HIV preventive services in Burundi.

Prevalence and predictors of HIV testing among young men in Papua New Guinea: a cross-sectional analysis of a nationally representative sample

“…The odds of HIV testing remained lower among unmarried young men and those who had divorced or separated than those who were married. The result corroborated recent studies in Sub-Saharan Africa [20,41,45]. A possible explanation for the higher odds of low uptake of HIV testing among unmarried young men could be service accessibility and availability issues or dissatisfaction with HIV testing services.…”

“…The odds of HIV testing remained lower among unmarried young men than those who were married. The result corroborated recent studies in Sub-Saharan Africa [36,51,52]. One possible explanation for this could be that young men frequently encounter challenges accessing available HIV testing services, are dissatisfied with the services provided, and have confidentiality issues [35,48].…”

Adolescents and young adults are the most undiagnosed of HIV and virally unsuppressed in Eastern and Southern Africa: Pooled analyses from five population-based surveys

“…The low diagnosis coverage among adolescents and young adults may have several reasons. Evidence from Nigeria and Burundi suggests that stigma is an important factor preventing HIV testing among adolescents and young adults [4,19], some young adults preferring selftesting [20]. Although few in our sample, men 15-24 years had a particularly high likelihood of being unaware of their HIV positive status compared to other age-sex groups.…”