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Client Characteristics and HIV Risk Associated with Repeat HIV Testing Among Women in Ethiopia

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Abstract

In Ethiopia, the number of HIV tests administered doubled from 2007 to 2008. However, very little is known about the number of clients testing repeatedly in one year, or their motivations for doing so. We examine repeat HIV testing among 2,027 Ethiopian women attending eight VCT facilities in 2008. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine associations between repeat HIV testing and demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial characteristics, as well as HIV status. Nearly 40% of clients had tested previously for HIV. Women with high sexual risk are nearly four times more likely than those with no sexual risk to have tested previously, but HIV prevalence was lower among repeat testers (6.5%) than first-time testers (8.5%). Moderate perceived vulnerability, or feeling powerless to prevent HIV infection, is associated with a 50% increased likelihood of being a repeat tester. High perceived behavioral risk is associated with a 40% reduction in the likelihood a woman is testing for at least the second time. Costs associated with repeat testing should be balanced against identification of new HIV cases and prevention benefits.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge support for conducting this research from The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, 4041, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Heather Bradley, Amy Tsui & Duff Gillespie

  2. Miz-Hasab Research Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Aklilu Kidanu

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  1. Heather Bradley
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  2. Amy Tsui
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  3. Aklilu Kidanu
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  4. Duff Gillespie
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Correspondence to Heather Bradley.

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Bradley, H., Tsui, A., Kidanu, A. et al. Client Characteristics and HIV Risk Associated with Repeat HIV Testing Among Women in Ethiopia. AIDS Behav 15, 725–733 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-010-9765-1

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