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Proximate Context of HIV-Related Stigma and Women’s Use of Skilled Childbirth Services in Uganda

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Abstract

HIV-related stigma compromises both HIV prevention and treatment and has recently been described as a barrier to utilization of skilled childbirth services in sub-Saharan Africa. This study uses the 2011 Uganda Demographic Health Survey to estimate the associations between HIV-related stigma, measured both at the individual and community level, and use of facility delivery among women. Consistent with theoretical predictions, higher levels of stigma are associated with reduced likelihood of facility delivery. The negative relationship between stigma and facility delivery is especially pronounced when stigma is measured at the community level, highlighting the importance of understanding the proximate context of HIV-related stigma and its potential effects on behavior. Reducing the stigma of HIV will be critical to achieving the twin goals of reducing overall maternal mortality and preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Measure DHS for access and authorization to the 2011 Uganda Demographic Health Survey data files for research purposes. The authors received no specific funding for this study and acknowledge salary support from U.S. National Institutes of Health K23MH096620. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Ave, 11th Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Courtney K. Ng

  2. MGH Global Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Alexander C. Tsai

  3. Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Alexander C. Tsai

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  1. Courtney K. Ng
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Correspondence to Courtney K. Ng.

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Ng, C.K., Tsai, A.C. Proximate Context of HIV-Related Stigma and Women’s Use of Skilled Childbirth Services in Uganda. AIDS Behav 21, 307–316 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-016-1401-2

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