Determinants of Repeated HIV Testing in Sub-Saharan Africa

University Of Michigan At Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): For more than a decade, global funding and national efforts within sub-Saharan Africa have been utilized to curb the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Monitoring the trends and changes of each country's epidemic is critical to determine the rate and scope of HIV transmission. HIV testing and counseling, introduced in 1985, is the essential link for seropositive people to receive appropriate care and services. HIV testing also provides the best prevention information to both seropositive and seronegative individuals. In recent years, in the US, repeated HIV testing among high-risk people has become a growing target of surveillance because of increasing seropositive rates (such as those seen among African American men who have sex with men (MSM)). However, little is known about repeated testing among general populations in high endemic areas. Using the Kenya 2003 Demographic and Health Survey data (KDHS'03), this study will examine the relationship of surveyed participants' HIV testing patterns (repeated testing, first-time testing, and non-testing) with their - social demographic characteristics; knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors associated with HIV infection; and attitudes about women's sexual empowerment. Repeated HIV testing in this context is defined as having self-reported prior HIV testing and subsequently testing as part of the KDHS'03. Repeated testers will be compared to first-time DHS testers (those who reported no prior HIV testing and who tested with the KDHS'03) and non-testers (those who reported no prior HIV testing and who refused to test with the KDHS'03). [unreadable] [unreadable] The proposed research project has the following specific aims: [unreadable] [unreadable] 1. To describe the socio-demographic characteristics of Kenyans with different patterns of HIV testing (repeat testing, never testing). 2. To describe how knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to HIV infection affect the use of HIV testing in Kenya, net of other factors. 3. To describe attitudes about women's sexual empowerment in Kenya, and how such attitudes may differentiate use of HIV testing patterns in Kenya, net of other factors. 4. To examine how each of the above factors impact intention to test among those offered an opportunity to test for the first time during the KDHS'03. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]