Community-level HIV risk behaviors and HIV prevalence among women and men in Zimbabwe.

Most studies on HIV risk in sub-Saharan Africa focus on individual-level sociodemographic and behavioral correlates of risk. Only recently have researchers and programmers considered the context within which individuals live. This study uses the 2005-6 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey to examine the correlation between the prevalence of HIV at the community level and the prevalence of HIV risk-taking behaviors. Results show that women and men living in communities with higher HIV prevalence in the opposite sex are at increased risk of HIV. In addition, rural women and men living in communities with greater premarital and nonmarital sex are at greater risk of HIV. Finally, HIV prevalence is higher among women and men living in urban areas with higher intimate partner violence. Programs should address community-level social norms that make high-risk behaviors acceptable and thus increase all women and men's risk of HIV, not just those engaged in high-risk behaviors.