AEGiS-14IAC: Sexual behaviour trends and HIV during 1994-2000 in a longitudinal study in rural Tanzania.

14th International AIDS Conference

Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

Sexual behaviour trends and HIV during 1994-2000 in a longitudinal study in rural Tanzania.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. TuOrC1230)

Mwaluko G, Urassa M, Isingo R, Zaba B, Boerma JT
TANESA Project, Mwanza, Tanzania

BACKGROUND: In Kisesa ward in rural northwest Tanzania an open cohort study has been ongoing since 1994. A district HIV prevention program, implemented since 1995, included improved STD control, AIDS education in schools, condom promotion, peer health education, formation of community by-laws and support for income generating activities. Prevalence among 15-44 year olds increased from 5.9 in 1994/5 and 6.6 in 1996/7 to 8.1% in 1999/00.

METHODS: Residents aged 15 and over were invited to take part in a sero-survey in 1999/00, using the same methodology as in 1994/5 and 1996/7, when the upper age limit was 45. In each survey participants were interviewed about AIDS related issues using the same structured questionnaire.

RESULTS: Each survey included about 6,000 respondents with participation rates of 78, 79 and 67% respectively. At each round virtually all respondents knew of AIDS and its sexual transmission. Increased proportions knew a healthy person could have HIV (from 61% in 1994 to 75% in 2000, p<.001), but by 2000 still only 33% of men and 15% of women thought the incubation period exceeded 3 years. By 2000 57% of men and 28% of women knew someone with HIV/AIDS, an increase over time only for men. The proportion feeling at risk continued to be less than 20%. Patterns of sexual behaviour did not change much by survey: 27, 21, and 25% of men reported 3 or more sexual partners in the last year; 10, 8 and 9% of women reported 2 or more sexual partners in the last year; 43, 45 and 43% of married men reported an extramarital partner in the last year. By 2000, 93% of men had heard of condoms but only 25% had ever used one, though consistent condom use with non regular partners rose to 7% from 4% in 1994.

CONCLUSION: It is difficult to engineer behaviour change through low cost interventions and there is a need to examine the scale, contents and duration of interventions aiming to change sexual behaviour and reduce transmission.

Keywords: AEGIS, Tanzania, Sex Behavior, Longitudinal Studies, Condoms, HIV Infections, Sexual Partners, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Safe Sex, Prevalence, Cohort Studies, HIV Seropositivity, Data Collection, Questionnaires, Human, Male, Female, trends

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TuOrC1230