AEGiS-14IAC: Community Influences on Indiviudal level HIV serostatus in Rakai District, Uganda.

14th International AIDS Conference


Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

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Community Influences on Indiviudal level HIV serostatus in Rakai District, Uganda.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no.. ThOrD1494)

Patil P, Bishai D, Rakai Project Group R
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States

BACKGROUND: The current HIV/AIDS research and prevention paradigm in dominated by the study of individual risk factors. Recent literature suggests the importance of re-focusing on contextual and social influences on individual level HIV risk behaviors and status. This study examined the influences of community level measures (social and economic) on individual level HIV status.

METHODS: We used data from 56 communities with a sample of 15, 247 individuals gathered between 1994-1998 in the Rakai District of Uganda. Using both community and individual level measures, we applied logistic regression to examine the effects of community means of AIDS knowledge and condom use as well as community electrification, roads, bars, and discos on HIV serostatus.

RESULTS: A chi-square test of joint significance revealed that community level social and economic variables significantly influenced individual HIV serostatus, even when adjusting for individual level demographics and HIV risk behaviors. Community means of AIDS knowledge and condom use were more strongly linked to HIV serostatus than economic development indicators. Simulations suggest that interventions to increase community mean condom use would have a larger effect on an individual's risk for HIV that changes in economic development of a community.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that examining community contextual effects on HIV risk behaviors and HIV status is a useful approach to HIV prevention research. And, in using community level variables we are better able to understand the salient components of risk-environments that put individuals at greater risk of HIV acquisition. Statistical simulations were run that demonstrate how policy changes may influence HIV risk behaviors, and HIV status.

Keywords: AEGIS, HIV Infections, Residence Characteristics, HIV Seropositivity, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Risk-Taking, Safe Sex, Uganda, Demography, Logistic ModelsKWDaegis,hivinfections,residencecharacteristics,hivseropositivity,acquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome,risk-taking,safesex,uganda,demography,logisticmodels

020707
ThOrD1494

Copyright © 2002 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.