Predictors of HIV knowledge and testing among female adolescents and emerging adults in Tajikistan

ABSTRACT

Over the past decade, incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has increased significantly in Tajikistan, with female adolescents and emerging adults (i.e., 15–24 years old) particularly vulnerable for acquiring HIV. This study sought to examine whether HIV knowledge and HIV testing among female youth in Tajikistan have increased between 2012 and 2017 using national data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). In addition, predictors of HIV knowledge and testing were examined. Results suggest that between 2012 and 2017, self-reported HIV testing prevalence increased from 10% to 15% among female adolescents and emerging adults. In addition, HIV knowledge increased significantly among female youth from 2012 to 2017; however, many respondents still displayed limited knowledge about the modes of HIV transmission and effective prevention methods. In order to reduce incidence of HIV among youth in Tajikistan, greater efforts are needed to engage women in education and prevention efforts, as well as to understand the unique vulnerabilities that place some subgroups at increased risk for infection.

KEYWORDS:

• HIV knowledge
• HIV testing
• Tajikistan
• female adolescents
• women

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the DHS Program for granting access to the Tajikistan DHS data.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Availability of data

All data used in this research are available to download from the DHS Program (https://dhsprogram.com/data/available-datasets.cfm). Permission from the DHS Program is required to access the data.