TY - JOUR
T1 - Estimating HIV prevalence and HIV-related risk behaviors among heterosexual women who have multiple sex partners using respondent-driven sampling in a high risk community in South Africa
AU - Townsend, Loraine
AU - Zembe, Yanga
AU - Mathews, Catherine
AU - Mason-Jones, Amanda J
PY - 2013/4/1
Y1 - 2013/4/1
N2 - BACKGROUND:: Repeated surveillance surveys are important for monitoring trends in HIV and risk behaviours over time. In countries most adversely affected by HIV and AIDS, community-level HIV biological and behavioural surveillance surveys (BBSS) are needed among subpopulations who engage in high-risk sexual behaviours. PURPOSE:: To describe the effectiveness of RDS to recruit heterosexual women who have multiple concurrent sexual partnerships; to report HIV prevalence and describe key characteristics among them; and assess whether RDS accessed women not usually recruited during routine sentinel surveillance surveys. PROCEDURES:: We conducted a HIV BBSS using respondent driven sampling among women. Participants completed an audio-computer assisted survey interview (ACASI), voluntarily provided dried blood spots (DBS) for HIV testing and were offered rapid HIV testing. FINDINGS:: The analytical sample comprised 845 women whose mean age was 23.9 years. 6.4% were married; 49.6% lived in informal dwellings; 31.8% reported not have enough money for food. HIV prevalence was 28.8% (CI: 24.3, 33.4). Being between 20-29 years was significantly related to HIV infection. Women who had never attended a public health facility (10.1%) compared to those who had were more likely to be -16-19 years (p=0.008); reported sexual debut at 10-14 years (p=0.044), were more likely to have experienced a symptom of a STI (p=0.031) and to have taken illegal drugs (p=0.007). CONCLUSION:: RDS effectively recruited women who reported two or more male sexual partners in the past three months. HIV prevalence and HIV-related risk behaviours were high among women who have multiple concurrent partners.
AB - BACKGROUND:: Repeated surveillance surveys are important for monitoring trends in HIV and risk behaviours over time. In countries most adversely affected by HIV and AIDS, community-level HIV biological and behavioural surveillance surveys (BBSS) are needed among subpopulations who engage in high-risk sexual behaviours. PURPOSE:: To describe the effectiveness of RDS to recruit heterosexual women who have multiple concurrent sexual partnerships; to report HIV prevalence and describe key characteristics among them; and assess whether RDS accessed women not usually recruited during routine sentinel surveillance surveys. PROCEDURES:: We conducted a HIV BBSS using respondent driven sampling among women. Participants completed an audio-computer assisted survey interview (ACASI), voluntarily provided dried blood spots (DBS) for HIV testing and were offered rapid HIV testing. FINDINGS:: The analytical sample comprised 845 women whose mean age was 23.9 years. 6.4% were married; 49.6% lived in informal dwellings; 31.8% reported not have enough money for food. HIV prevalence was 28.8% (CI: 24.3, 33.4). Being between 20-29 years was significantly related to HIV infection. Women who had never attended a public health facility (10.1%) compared to those who had were more likely to be -16-19 years (p=0.008); reported sexual debut at 10-14 years (p=0.044), were more likely to have experienced a symptom of a STI (p=0.031) and to have taken illegal drugs (p=0.007). CONCLUSION:: RDS effectively recruited women who reported two or more male sexual partners in the past three months. HIV prevalence and HIV-related risk behaviours were high among women who have multiple concurrent partners.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84871123946&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/QAI.0b013e3182816990
DO - 10.1097/QAI.0b013e3182816990
M3 - Article
C2 - 23254149
SN - 1525-4135
VL - 62
SP - 457
EP - 464
JO - Jaids-Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes
JF - Jaids-Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes
IS - 4
ER -