Prevalence of and factors associated with HIV testing among adolescent girls and young women in South Africa: Evidence from the South Africa Demographic and Health Survey 2016.

BACKGROUND

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) remain vulnerable to HIV, with a higher incidence rate than their male counterparts.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence of and factors associated with HIV testing among AGYW in South Africa (SA).

METHODS

A cross-sectional design was used to analyse the South Africa Demographic and Health Survey 2016. Only sexually active AGYW aged 15 - 24 years residing in SA at the time of the survey were included. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse baseline sociodemographic characteristics. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine factors associated with HIV testing. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05, and all analyses were adjusted using survey weights to account for unequal selection probabilities.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of HIV testing among sexually active AGYW was 85.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) 83.0 - 87.1). The AGYW who had a history of pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 4.47; 95% CI 2.90 - 6.89), were employed (aOR 3.29; 95% CI 1.75 - 6.21), belonged to a middle wealth index (aOR 1.80; 95% CI 1.04 - 3.10), had knowledge about mother-to-child transmission of HIV (aOR 3.29; 95% CI 2.26 - 4.79), had visited a health facility during the past 12 months (aOR 2.93; 95% CI 2.09 - 4.10), or had secondary/tertiary education (aOR 2.04; 95% CI 1.04 - 3.99) had higher odds of HIV testing.

CONCLUSION

The study identified an unmet need for HIV testing among sexually active AGYW in SA, especially adolescent girls aged 15 - 19 years. Increasing knowledge about HIV testing, adolescent-friendly services and other offsite strategies are therefore important for this particular key population.