ArticleInternational journal of STD & AIDS2023
Age-of-consent requirements and adolescent HIV testing in low-and middle-income countries: multinational insights from 51 population-based surveys.
Article in International journal of STD & AIDS, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Drivers of Vertical HIV Transmission in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Impact and Cost-Effectiveness of Targeted and Universal Lenacapavir Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2026Article
- Acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of caregiver-assisted HIV self-testing among children using an oral mucosal test in Uganda and Zambia: a prospective interventional study.The lancet. HIV · 2025Observational
- Rethinking HIV care for youth: Insights from qualitative research with youth in Chad.PloS one · 2025Article
- Expanding single-venue services to better engage young people who inject drugs: insights from India.Harm reduction journal · 2024Review
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Abstract
backgroundPervasive social and structural barriers-including national policies-inhibit HIV testing uptake among priority populations, including adolescents. We assessed the relationship between age-of-consent policies for HIV testing and adolescent HIV testing coverage in 51 low- and middle-income countries.
methodsWe pooled data from household surveys (2010-2020) and calculated the weighted country-level prevalence of lifetime HIV testing separately for adolescent girls and boys (ages 15-19). We then abstracted age-of-consent requirements for HIV testing across countries. Using multivariable linear regression, we estimated the average difference in national HIV testing coverage estimates for adolescent girls and boys by age-of-consent restrictions for HIV testing.
resultsNational HIV testing coverage estimates ranged from 0.7% to 72.5% among girls (median: 18.0%) and 0% to 73.2% among boys (median: 7.5%) in Pakistan and Lesotho, respectively. In adjusted models, HIV testing coverage in countries requiring parental consent for individuals <18 years was, on average, 9.4 percentage-points (pp) lower (95% confidence interval [95%CI] -17.9pp to -0.9pp) among girls and 9.3pp lower (95%CI: -17.3pp to -1.2pp) among boys, relative to countries with less restrictive policies (age-of-consent: ≤16 years). Compared to countries with less restrictive (age-of-consent: ≤14 years) policies, HIV testing prevalence was significantly lower among girls (
conclusionsAge-of-consent policies are persistent obstacles to adolescent HIV testing. Repealing parental consent requirements for HIV testing is needed to expand coverage and accelerate progress towards global HIV treatment and prevention targets.
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