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Understanding the gender disparity in HIV infection across countries in sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from the Demographic and Health Surveys

Magadi, Monica Akinyi

Authors

Monica Akinyi Magadi



Abstract

Women in sub-SaharanAfrica bear a disproportionate burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections, which is exacerbated by their role in society and biological vulnerability. The specific objectives of this article are to (i) determine the extent of gender disparity in HIV infection; (ii) examine the role of HIV behaviour factors on the gender disparity and (iii) establish how the gender disparity varies between individuals of different characteristics and across countries. The analysis involves multilevel logistic regression analysis applied to pooledDemographic andHealth Surveys data from 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa conducted during 2003–2008. The findings suggest that women in sub- Saharan Africa have on average a 60%higher risk of HIV infection than their male counterparts. The risk for women is 70%higher than their male counterparts of similar sexual behaviour, suggesting that the observed gender disparity cannot be attributed to sexual behaviour. The results suggest that the risk ofHIV infection among women (compared to men) across countries in sub-Saharan Africa is further aggravated among those who are younger, in female-headed households, not in stable unions or marital partnerships or had an earlier sexual debut.⁄ acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) awareness and sexual

Citation

Magadi, M. A. (2011). Understanding the gender disparity in HIV infection across countries in sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from the Demographic and Health Surveys. Sociology of Health and Illness, 33(4), 522-539. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2010.01304.x

Journal Article Type Article
Online Publication Date May 4, 2011
Publication Date May 1, 2011
Deposit Date Nov 13, 2014
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Sociology of health & illness
Print ISSN 0141-9889
Electronic ISSN 1467-9566
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 33
Issue 4
Pages 522-539
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2010.01304.x
Keywords Gender disparity; HIV infection; Sub-Saharan Africa; Cross-national variation; Demographic and Health Surveys
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/467574
Publisher URL http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2010.01304.x/abstract
Additional Information Copy of article first published in: Sociology of health & illness, 2011, v.33 issue 4.

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Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2012. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.





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