Leaving no one behind: Disability and HIV prevention, knowledge among adults in a population cohort in Uganda

• Published in: African journal of disability Vol. 13
• Main Authors: Mugisha, Joseph O, Makanga, Ronald, Kimono, Beatrice W, Kasamba, Ivan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pretoria AOSIS (Pty) Ltd 01.01.2024
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adults; AIDS; Best practice; Demography; Disability; Disease prevention; Health facilities; High risk; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Immune system; Infections; Knowledge; Mobility; People with disabilities; Population; Prevention programs; Preventive medicine; Serology; Severity; Sociodemographics; Vulnerability; Womens health; Uganda
• DOI: 10.4102/ajod.v13i0.1497
• ISSN: 2223-9170

Background:People with disability are a vulnerable population and are at a high risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.Objectives:We investigated the association between severity of disability and not having knowledge of any HIV prevention method among adults in Uganda.Method:Between January 2015 and December 2015, data were collected within a general population in Uganda, on six domains of disability based on the Washington Group Short Set on Functioning. In addition, routine data on socio-demographic factors and other HIV-related data were collected among adults aged 16 years and above. A continuum of functioning was developed: without disability, mild, moderate and severe. Bivariate and multivariate associations of disability and not knowing any HIV prevention method were fitted using logistic regression models.Results:A total of 3331 adults (60.4% female) were included. Of these, 14.5% ( n = 482) were classified as having either moderate or severe disability, and this proportion exponentially increased with age ( p < 0.001). Overall, 4.2% ( n = 140) reported not knowing any HIV prevention method, with a slightly higher proportion among females than males (3.1% in males, 4.9% in females). Compared to people with no disability, those with moderate or severe disability were 5 times more unlikely to know any HIV prevention methods (adjusted odds ratio = 5.45, 95% confidence interval = 3.25–9.13, p < 0.001). Additionally, the combined effect of moderate and severe disability and none/incomplete primary education increased the likelihood of not knowing HIV prevention methods over and beyond their separate effects ( p < 0.001).Conclusion:Effective HIV prevention strategies must integrate best practices that target people with disabilities.Contribution:These findings contribute to the evidence of the lack of HIV prevention knowledge among people with disabilities in general populations.