Dlamini Bongiwe N, Chiao Chi
a College of Medicine, Institute of Public Health, International Health Program , National Yang Ming University , Taipei , Taiwan , Republic of China.
b College of Medicine, Institute of Health and Welfare Policy, Institute of Public Health , National Yang-Ming University , Taipei , Taiwan , Republic of China.
AIDS Care. 2015;27(9):1069-78. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2015.1026306. Epub 2015 Apr 1.
Swaziland has one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalences in the world, which has contributed to many Swazi children being left as "orphans and vulnerable children" (OVC). In 2010, there were 78,000 AIDS orphans in the country and the number is expected to increase given the current HIV prevalence. The WHO aims to close the gap in a generation and eliminate health inequality; as a result the Swazi Government began in 2005 to provide financial support to the education of OVC. Prior research has indicated that household characteristics are some of the major determinants with respect to schooling status among children. We have examined the association between household characteristics and schooling status of OVC. Schooling status may vary by gender and by age, as well as by other sociodemographic factors, in sub-Saharan African societies, and therefore we have also included a comprehensive set of appropriate variables in all of our multivariate analyses. Using existing data from the Swaziland Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2010, a total of 5890 children aged 7-18 years old were analyzed. The results from the multivariate logistic regressions showed that non-OVC were more likely than OVC to be in school (OR = 2.18, p < 0.001), even after taking other variables into considerations. The OVC in socioeconomically disadvantaged households, such as those with lower levels of household wealt, and those who resided in an urban area, were less likely to be in school. These findings suggest that education programs for OVC need to be household-appropriate.
斯威士兰是世界上艾滋病毒/艾滋病感染率最高的国家之一，这导致许多斯威士兰儿童沦为“孤儿和弱势儿童”（OVC）。2010年，该国共有7.8万名艾滋病孤儿，鉴于目前的艾滋病毒感染率，这一数字预计还会上升。世界卫生组织旨在在一代人的时间内缩小差距并消除健康不平等；因此，斯威士兰政府于2005年开始为OVC的教育提供财政支持。先前的研究表明，家庭特征是影响儿童上学状况的一些主要决定因素。我们研究了家庭特征与OVC上学状况之间的关联。在撒哈拉以南非洲社会，上学状况可能因性别、年龄以及其他社会人口因素而有所不同，因此我们在所有多变量分析中还纳入了一系列全面的适当变量。利用2010年斯威士兰多指标类集调查的现有数据，对总共5890名7至18岁的儿童进行了分析。多变量逻辑回归结果显示，即使考虑了其他变量，非OVC儿童上学的可能性也比OVC儿童更大（比值比=2.18，p<0.001）。社会经济处于不利地位家庭中的OVC，如家庭财富水平较低的家庭以及居住在城市地区的家庭中的OVC，上学的可能性较小。这些发现表明，针对OVC的教育项目需要适合家庭情况。
