Prevalence and factors associated with HIV testing uptake among adolescent girls and young women in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2015 to 2024
1
School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
2
Department of Statistics, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
3
Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Sefako Makgatho University, Pretoria, South Africa
4
Department of Physiotherapy, Sefako Makgatho University, Pretoria, South Africa
5
Department of Statistics, Injibara University, Injibara, Ethiopia
6
Department of Physiotherapy, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
HIV/AIDS remains a major global public health problem. This study determined prevalence and factors associated with HIV testing uptake among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 15 to 24 years in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from 2015 to 2024.
METHODS:
The potential factors associated with HIV testing uptake were identified using a multivariable multilevel logistic regression model. All analyses were performed using data from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of SSA countries between 2015 and 2024, with adjustments for unequal sampling probabilities using survey weights.
RESULTS:
The overall uptake of HIV testing among AGYW aged 15-19 years was 24.96% (95%CI: 24.45-25.49), lower than for AGYW aged 20-24 years at 55.78% (95%CI: 55.05-56.52), according to the pooled estimates from the DHS data. The factors associated with HIV testing uptake were educational level, media exposure, discriminatory attitudes towards people with HIV, knowledge of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, comprehensive HIV knowledge, current pregnancy status, visit to a health facility, age at first sexual intercourse, experience of gender-based violence, internet use, place of residence, and cluster-level illiteracy.
CONCLUSIONS:
The pooled uptake of HIV testing was approximately two times higher among AGYW aged 20-24 years compared to the AGYW aged 15-19 years. Increasing HIV testing uptake among AGYW requires a multi-pronged approach that removes barriers while providing HIV testing in the community, at home, and at all levels of the health service, especially among adolescent girls aged 15-19 years. The introduction of comprehensive sex education in schools and the promotion of HIV self-testing can increase the HIV testing uptake among adolescent girls.
HIV/AIDS remains a major global public health problem. This study determined prevalence and factors associated with HIV testing uptake among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 15 to 24 years in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from 2015 to 2024.
METHODS:
The potential factors associated with HIV testing uptake were identified using a multivariable multilevel logistic regression model. All analyses were performed using data from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of SSA countries between 2015 and 2024, with adjustments for unequal sampling probabilities using survey weights.
RESULTS:
The overall uptake of HIV testing among AGYW aged 15-19 years was 24.96% (95%CI: 24.45-25.49), lower than for AGYW aged 20-24 years at 55.78% (95%CI: 55.05-56.52), according to the pooled estimates from the DHS data. The factors associated with HIV testing uptake were educational level, media exposure, discriminatory attitudes towards people with HIV, knowledge of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, comprehensive HIV knowledge, current pregnancy status, visit to a health facility, age at first sexual intercourse, experience of gender-based violence, internet use, place of residence, and cluster-level illiteracy.
CONCLUSIONS:
The pooled uptake of HIV testing was approximately two times higher among AGYW aged 20-24 years compared to the AGYW aged 15-19 years. Increasing HIV testing uptake among AGYW requires a multi-pronged approach that removes barriers while providing HIV testing in the community, at home, and at all levels of the health service, especially among adolescent girls aged 15-19 years. The introduction of comprehensive sex education in schools and the promotion of HIV self-testing can increase the HIV testing uptake among adolescent girls.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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