ArticlePloS one2018
The association between being currently in school and HIV prevalence among young women in nine eastern and southern African countries.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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15 citing papers in PubMed, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Impact of an Economic Strengthening Intervention on Academic Achievement Among Adolescents Living with HIV: Findings from the Suubi + Adherence Cluster-Randomized Trial in Uganda (2012-2018).AIDS and behavior · 2023Trial
- Multilevel factors associated with self-reported sexually transmitted infections among sexually active women in Africa: a socio-ecological analysis.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Educational Attainment and HIV Prevalence by Age Among Pregnant Women in South Africa.AIDS and behavior · 2026Article
- Sexual Relationship Typologies, Multilevel Determinants, and HIV Among Adolescent Mothers in Eastern and Southern Africa: A Multilevel Latent Class Analysis.AIDS and behavior · 2026Article
- Measuring HIV outcomes for adolescent girls and young women programs in Africa: Using the polling booth survey technique.PloS one · 2024Article
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- Factors Associated with New HIV Infection among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in the City of Kigali Rwanda.Rwanda journal of medicine and health sciences · 2023Article
- Protective factors for adolescent sexual risk behaviours and experiences linked to HIV infection in South Africa: a three-wave longitudinal analysis of caregiving, education, food security, and social protection.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Multisectoral, Combination HIV Prevention for Adolescent Girls and Young Women: A Qualitative Study of the DREAMS Implementation Trajectory in Zambia.Global health, science and practice · 2022Article
- Factors Associated with Condom Use Among Out-of-School Young People on Anti-Retroviral Therapy in Central Uganda.HIV/AIDS (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2022Article
- Women diagnosed with HIV and unknown HIV status perceived susceptibility to cervical cancer and perceived benefits of cervical cancer screening in Ghana: a cross-sectional study.BMC women's health · 2021Article
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- Article
- Does schooling protect sexual health? The association between three measures of education and STIs among adolescents in Malawi.Population studies · 2020Article
- Adolescent sexual and reproductive health in sub-Saharan Africa: who is left behind?BMJ global health · 2020Review
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionInterventions to keep adolescent girls and young women in school, or support their return to school, are hypothesised to also reduce HIV risk. Such interventions are included in the DREAMS combination package of evidence-based interventions. Although there is evidence of reduced risky sexual behaviours, the impact on HIV incidence is unclear. We used nationally representative surveys to investigate the association between being in school and HIV prevalence.
methodsWe analysed Demographic and Health Survey data from nine DREAMS countries in sub-Saharan Africa restricted to young women aged 15-19 (n = 20,429 in total). We used logistic regression to assess cross-sectional associations between being in school and HIV status and present odds ratios adjusted for age, socio-economic status, residence, marital status, educational attainment and birth history (aOR). We investigated whether associations seen differed across countries and by age.
resultsHIV prevalence (1.0%-9.8%), being currently in school (50.0%-72.6%) and the strength of association between the two, varied between countries. We found strong evidence that being currently in school was associated with a reduced odds of being HIV positive in Lesotho (aOR: 0.37; 95%CI: 0.17-0.79), Swaziland (aOR: 0.32; 95%CI: 0.17-0.59), and Uganda (aOR: 0.48: 95%CI: 0.29-0.80) and no statistically significant evidence for this in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia or Zimbabwe.
conclusionsAlthough the relationship is not uniform across countries or over time, these data are supportive of the hypothesis that young women in school are at lower risk of being HIV positive than those who leave school in some sub-Saharan African settings. There is a possibility of reverse causality, with pre-existing HIV infection leading to school drop-out. Further investigation of the contextual factors behind this variation will be important in interpreting the results of HIV prevention interventions promoting retention in school.
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