Contextual factors associated with knowledge and attitudes of HIV/AIDS among Malawian women of reproductive age

• Published in: European journal of public health Vol. 31; no. 6; pp. 1129 - 1137
• Main Authors: Nkoka, Owen, Ntenda, Peter A M, Chuang, Kun-Yang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.12.2021; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - prevention & control; Adolescent; Adult; Age; AIDS; Attitudes; Behavior; Care and treatment; Community; Educational Status; Female; Health aspects; Health attitudes; Health care facilities; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health literacy; Health surveys; Heterogeneity; HIV; HIV infection; HIV Infections - prevention & control; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Immune system; Knowledge; Middle Aged; Prevention; Public health; Random effects; Regression analysis; Regression models; Social aspects; Socioeconomic Factors; Surveys; Wealth; Women; Young Adult; Young women; Malawi
• ISSN: 1101-1262; 1464-360X
• DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckab110

Increasing the knowledge and attitude toward human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a key in the management of the condition. However, in Malawi, there is limited information regarding individual- and community-level factors associated with HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes. This study examined the contextual factors associated with HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes among women of childbearing age (WOCBA) (aged 15-49 years) in Malawi. The 2015-16 Malawi demographic and health survey was used to analyze 24 562 WOCBA who were nested in 850 communities. Mixed effects logistic regression models were fitted to estimate the fixed and random effects of individual- and community-level factors on HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes. Approximately 30.9% of the participants had good HIV/AIDS knowledge while 80.5% had good HIV/AIDS attitudes. Among others, at the individual-level, woman's age, educational level and household wealth were positively associated with both good HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes. At the community-level, those from communities with a high percentage of women complaining about the distance to health facility were less likely to have both good HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes. Individual- and community-level factors have been shown to be associated with HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes among WOCBA in Malawi. Additionally, residual heterogeneity in terms of HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes across communities was observed. Therefore, thorough profiling of communities when designing public health programs and strategies may prove beneficial.