How Much Do They Know? An Analysis of the Accuracy of HIV Knowledge among Youth Affected by HIV in South Africa

Assessing HIV knowledge in Mexican people living with HIV: development and validation of CC-VIH questionnaire

The level of knowledge that people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have about their disease can impact their adherence to treatment. The aim of this study was to develop a tool to assess the knowledge about HIV among people receiving treatment at a specialized clinic in Mexico City. To establish content validity, expert judges were invited to conceptualize the tool and propose items for the defined dimensions. A total of 490 individuals living with HIV completed the 91-item questionnaire, with 82.2% being male and a mean age of 36.1 years. We conducted an exploratory factor analysis, resulting in a reduced questionnaire of 45 questions. A three-factor solution explained 36.2% of the variance in HIV knowledge. The total scale had a reliability coefficient of 0.937, and each subscale had reliabilities of 0.828, 0.856 and 0.859. Lower educational level (F(336) = 8.488, p < 0.001) and female gender (t(399) = 2.003, p = 0.046) were associated with lower scores on the HIV knowledge questionnaire. This tool appears suitable for measuring HIV knowledge in people living with HIV, although future studies are required to confirm its structure and reduce its extension.

Knowledge of HIV and/or AIDS and HIV testing services among young men in South Africa

BACKGROUND

The youth is at a heightened risk of immunodeficiency virus and/or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV and/or AIDS) infection because of risk-taking behaviour. There remains a gap in understanding young men's knowledge of HIV and/or AIDS and HIV testing services (HTS) in hard-to-reach communities in South Africa.

AIM

This article aimed to explore young men's knowledge of HIV and/or AIDS, including HTS in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

SETTING

Rural and peri-urban areas around the town of Ladysmith.

METHODS

Employing a qualitative descriptive research design, 17 young men aged between 18 and 30 years were purposively and conveniently sampled and interviewed using WhatsApp and landline audio calls to collect their data, which was thematically analysed.

RESULTS

Young men had good knowledge of HIV and/or AIDS but lacked knowledge about HTS and HIV self-testing (HIVST). They obtained their information about HIV and/or AIDS and HTS from various sources and were aware of where to access HTS. They were generally unaware and supportive of HIVST.

CONCLUSION

Male-targeted HIV and/or AIDS knowledge and testing interventions are needed to encourage and support young men to test for HIV. Human immunodeficiency virus self-testing should be explored as an alternative to clinic-based service to encourage young men to know their status, specifically those with limited access to or are reluctant to attend clinics. Strengthening HIV and/or AIDS education could facilitate better decision-making towards HIV testing among young men.Contribution: This study contributes to an understanding of young adult men's knowledge of HIV and/or AIDS and HTS in underserved settings in South Africa.

Predicting the HIV/AIDS Knowledge among the Adolescent and Young Adult Population in Peru: Application of Quasi-Binomial Logistic Regression and Machine Learning Algorithms

Inadequate knowledge is one of the principal obstacles for preventing HIV/AIDS spread. Worldwide, it is reported that adolescents and young people have a higher vulnerability of being infected. Thus, the need to understand youths' knowledge towards HIV/AIDS becomes crucial. This study aimed to identify the determinants and develop a predictive model to estimate HIV/AIDS knowledge among this target population in Peru. Data from the 2019 DHS Survey were used. The software RStudio and RapidMiner were used for quasi-binomial logistic regression and computational model building, respectively. Five classification algorithms were considered for model development and their performance was assessed using accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, FPR, FNR, Cohen's kappa, F1 score and AUC. The results revealed an association between 14 socio-demographic, economic and health factors and HIV/AIDS knowledge. The accuracy levels were estimated between 59.47 and 64.30%, with the random forest model showing the best performance (64.30%). Additionally, the best classifier showed that the gender of the respondent, area of residence, wealth index, region of residence, interviewee's age, highest educational level, ethnic self-perception, having heard about HIV/AIDS in the past, the performance of an HIV/AIDS screening test and mass media access have a major influence on HIV/AIDS knowledge prediction. The results suggest the usefulness of the associations found and the random forest model as a predictor of knowledge of HIV/AIDS and may aid policy makers to guide and reinforce the planning and implementation of healthcare strategies.

Association between sexual and reproductive health education in peer group and comprehensive knowledge of HIV among adolescent girls in rural eastern Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

This study examined the association between sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education in peer-group discussion and comprehensive knowledge of HIV among young adolescent girls in rural eastern Ethiopia.

DESIGN

The study analysed data from a large quasi-experimental study involving 3290 young adolescent girls aged 13-17 years. The intervention targeted adolescent girls aged 10-14 years. Data were collected using a comprehensive HIV knowledge tool adopted from the demographic and health survey questionnaire. Multi-level mixed-effect logistic regression analysis was employed to examine associations using STATA/SE V.14 statistical software.

SETTING

West Hararghe, rural Ethiopia.

PARTICIPANTS

3290 adolescent girls.

RESULTS

Magnitude of comprehensive knowledge of HIV among those who received SRH education and those who did not receive SRH education was 16.78% (95% CI 14.41% to 19.45%) and 14.01% (95% CI 12.38% to 15.81%), respectively. Overall, 14.84% (95% CI 13.4.% to 16.39%) of the adolescent girls aged 13-17 years had comprehensive knowledge of HIV. The odds of having comprehensive HIV knowledge were higher (1.36 times) among adolescent girls who received SRH education compared with those who did not receive SRH education (adjusted OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.84) after controlling for selected potential confounders. Odds of having comprehensive HIV knowledge were also higher (1.73 times) among older adolescent girls (adjusted OR 1.733 95% CI 1.098 to 2.735) and (3.89 times) among those who attended secondary school (adjusted OR=3.889 95% CI 1.836 to 8.235) compared with young adolescent girls and the uneducated, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Comprehensive knowledge of HIV among young adolescent girls was very low. Providing SRH education for young adolescent girls improved their comprehensive knowledge of HIV in rural eastern Ethiopia. Initiating sexual education at an early age would benefit HIV prevention efforts.

Frequency of exposure to the media is associated with levels of HIV-related knowledge and stigmatising attitudes among adults in Ghana

Studies show that increased knowledge of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is achieved through exposure to mass media, which then contributes to positive attitudes and behaviours towards people living with HIV and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). This study examined the relationship between the frequency of exposure to the media and the level of HIV-related knowledge and stigmatising attitudes towards HIV and AIDS among adults in Ghana. A weighted sample of 13 484 men and women 15 to 59 years old took part in the study. The main outcome variable was the HIV-related knowledge score, calculated based on responses to eight questions about general HIV concepts and HIV transmission modes. The frequency of exposure to the media was the primary explanatory variable. The relationship between the frequency of media exposure and the level of HIV-related knowledge was investigated using Poisson regression methods in Stata 13.0. Of the 13 484 respondents analysed, 25%, 88.2% and 79.7% reported reading print media, listening to the radio and watching TV at least once a week respectively. The average HIV-related knowledge score was 4.9 (SD 1.6), with 22.9% of respondents correctly answering five questions and about 2.0% correctly answering all eight questions. The frequency of exposure to the media, particularly print media and television, was associated with an increase in the level of HIV-related knowledge. When compared to having a low level of HIV-related knowledge, having a moderate and high level of HIV-related knowledge reduced the score of stigmatising attitude by 0.065 and 0.277 points, respectively. The adult population in Ghana has a very low level of HIV or AIDS knowledge, as well as a significant level of stigma associated with HIV or AIDS, which could stymie HIV prevention efforts. The media, on the other hand, provide a platform for these issues to be addressed.

HIV knowledge among cisgender female sex workers of Haitian descent working at the border of Haiti and Dominican Republic

In this brief report, we aim to assess levels of HIV mis-information among cisgender Haitian female sex workers engaged in sex work at the Haiti and Dominican Republic border. We conducted bivariate analyses on the 2014 Border Study on Sex Workers comparing responses from female sex workers on the Haiti side of the border to those from their peers on the Dominican Republic side (N = 212). Prevention of HIV acquisition by correct and consistent condom use with each sex act was correctly endorsed by 90.5% of female sex workers in Haiti but only 57.0% of their peers in Dominican Republic (χ2 = 32.28, p < 0.001); 84.1% of respondents in Haiti correctly identified that HIV can be transmitted through a single unprotected sexual act, compared to 52.3% in Dominican Republic (χ2 = 25.2, p < 0.001). Significantly higher percentages of female sex workers in Dominican Republic correctly responded that HIV can be transmitted in pregnancy, compared to respondents in Haiti (96.5 vs. 71.4%; χ2 = 21.42, p < 0.001). Higher percentages of respondents in Dominican Republic correctly answered that HIV can be transmitted through needle sharing, relative to respondents in Haiti (100.0 vs. 89.7%; χ2 = 9.45, p < 0.01). Respondents in Dominican Republic more accurately rejected the possibility of transmission through food or through mosquito bites, compared to respondents in Haiti (95.4 vs. 81.8%, χ2 = 8.51, p < 0.01; 97.7 vs. 86.5%, χ2 = 7.81, p < 0.01, respectively). Findings indicate that if HIV knowledge is examined aggregating responses to individual questions, then elements of misinformation may remain unaddressed. For example, we found significant differences in correct answers ranging from 16.7 to 100.0%.

Prevalence and correlates of comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge among adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 years in Malawi: evidence from the 2015-16 Malawi demographic and health survey

Background

HIV epidemic remains a major public health issue in Malawi especially among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). Comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge (defined as correct knowledge of two major ways of preventing the sexual transmission of HIV and rejection of three misconceptions about HIV) is a key component of preventing new HIV infections among AGYW. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the correlates of comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge among AGYW in Malawi.

Methods

The study was based on cross-sectional data from the 2015–2016 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey. It involved 10,422 AGYW aged 15–24 years. The outcome variable was comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariable logistic regression model. All the analyses were performed using complex sample analysis procedure of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences to account for complex survey design.

Results

Approximately 42.2% of the study participants had comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge. Around 28% of the participants did not know that using condoms consistently can reduce the risk of HIV and 25% of the participants believed that mosquitoes could transmit HIV. Multivariable logistic regression model demonstrated that having higher education (AOR = 2.97, 95% CI: 2.35–3.75), belonging to richest households (AOR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.05–1.45), being from central region (AOR = 1.65, 95% CI:1.43–1.89), southern region (AOR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.43–1.90),listening to radio at least once a week (AOR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.15–1.40) and ever tested for HIV (AOR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.68–2.09) were significantly correlated with comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge.

Conclusions

The findings indicate that comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge among AGYW in Malawi is low. Various social-demographic characteristics were significantly correlated with comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge in this study. These findings suggest that public health programmes designed to improve comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge in Malawi should focus on uneducated young women, those residing in northern region and from poor households. There is also a need to target AGYW who have never tested for HIV with voluntary counselling and testing services. This measure might both improve their comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge and awareness of their health status.

Determinants of intergenerational sexual relationships and HIV risk among South African women outpatients in Gauteng

Age-discrepant sexual relationships may place women at risk for HIV infection in South Africa. Results are based on medical records and case-control interview data of 889 sexually experienced women outpatients aged 15-29 in a Gauteng township. Women with partners at least ten years older (intergenerational) show an elevated chance of having an early sexual debut, concurrent and transactional partners, and intimate partner violence. Hardship during childhood including parental loss, food insecurity and abuse are related to age asymmetric relationships. HIV is two times more likely (aOR=1.96) with an intergenerational partner. Transactional sex increases the odds of HIV independently (aOR=1.76) as does intimate partner violence (aOR=1.6). To the extent that transactional and intergenerational sex overlap the chance of contracting HIV increases more than two-fold (uOR=4.57). Girls (15-19) with intergenerational partners face the highest chance of HIV (uOR=8.55) compared to other age groups. They are also five times more likely than controls to have lived with a cross-age partner. Our findings indicate there are multiple pathways emanating from childhood leading to women's choice of intergenerational partners, and the link to HIV is strongest among the youngest women.