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Awareness of HIV serostatus by sex partners of women living with HIV in North-Central Nigeria: correlates and predictive analyses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2021

Ejemai Amaize Eboreime Open the ORCID record for Ejemai Amaize Eboreime [Opens in a new window] ,
Ijeoma Uchenna Itanyi ,
Amaka Grace Ogidi ,
Theddeus Iheanacho ,
Olanrewaju Olayiwola ,
Chima Ariel Onoka  and
Echezona Edozie Ezeanolue
Ejemai Amaize Eboreime*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Ijeoma Uchenna Itanyi
Affiliation:
Center for Translation and Implementation Research, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria Department of Community Medicine, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria
Amaka Grace Ogidi
Affiliation:
Center for Translation and Implementation Research, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria
Theddeus Iheanacho
Affiliation:
Yale Institute of Global Health, Yale School of Medicine, Connecticut, USA
Olanrewaju Olayiwola
Affiliation:
Caritas Nigeria, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Chima Ariel Onoka
Affiliation:
Center for Translation and Implementation Research, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria Department of Community Medicine, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria
Echezona Edozie Ezeanolue
Affiliation:
Center for Translation and Implementation Research, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria
*
*Corresponding author. Email: eboreime@ualberta.ca
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Abstract

Non-communication of HIV status among sex partners is a notable hurdle in halting transmission, largely due to socio-cultural factors. This study aimed to predict the determinants of male partners’ awareness of women’s serostatus. A total of 8825 women of reproductive age living with HIV who were clients at five comprehensive HIV treatment centres in Benue State, North-Central Nigeria were surveyed between June and December 2017, and 6655 reported having a sexual partner at the time of the survey selected for analysis. A regression model was used to estimate the determinants of male partner awareness of serostatus from the perspective of women. Conditional marginal analyses were conducted to evaluate the marginal effects of identified predictors on the probability of outcomes. Partners of married women were found to have greater odds of being aware of their spouse’s serostatus (adjusted OR (aOR): 3.20; 95%CI: 2.13–4.81) than non-married partners. Similarly, the odds of male partner awareness increased with the years women had been on antiretroviral therapy (aOR: 1.13; 95%CI: 1.07–1.20). The probability of partners of married respondents being aware of their spouse’s HIV serostatus was 97%. The conditional marginal effects of being educated to primary or higher level were 1.2 (95% CI: –0.2 to 2.7) and 1.8 (95% CI: 0.09–3.4) percentage points higher respectively when compared with women with no formal education. Being unemployed or being a trader significantly decreased the probability of partners being aware of respondents’ serostatus when compared with farmers; conditional marginal effects of –6.7 (95% CI: –12.0 to –1.4) and –3.9 (95% CI: –5.7 to –2.2) percentage points, respectively. The study found that relationship status and girl-child education are factors that can improve communication of HIV status to sex partners. Policies and interventions aimed at improving the social determinants of health, and social support for healthy communications in relationships, are recommended to reduce HIV transmission between sex partners.

Keywords

Sexual partnersPartner disclosureHIV
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 54 , Issue 4 , July 2022 , pp. 572 - 582
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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