Modeling Behavioral Factors Associated with HIV Infection among Women Aged 15-49 Years in Rwanda

As part of the global push to end the AIDS epidemic for all by 2030, Rwanda is accelerating reductions of AIDS-related deaths and new HIV infections through strategies for reaching out and providing HIV services to key populations. HIV prevalence is higher among women (3.7 %) compared to men (2.2 %). We aimed to determine and model the key behavioral factors associated with HIV infection among women in Rwanda. We used secondary data from the 2010 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS). We matched data of HIV status and women aged 15-49 years. The potential covariates were defined through conceptual framework and tested using bivariate analysis to assess association between each covariate and outcome. Then, we used multivariate logistic regression to determine potential behavioral factors that are considered to have an impact on the prevalence of the epidemic. Of over 6900 women interviewed in 2010 RDHS, 3.7 % were HIV positive and 96.3 % were HIV negative. In multivariate logistic regression, HIV prevalence was higher in women who were between 35 to 49 years old (OR: 2.090, 95 %CI: 1.230-3.549). Those who had experienced at least one STI symptom had a higher prevalence of HIV infection (OR: 2.920, 95 %CI: 1.897- 4.493). We also found that women who were divorced/separated and widowed (OR: 3.976, 95 %CI: 1.788-8.839), women who had first sex at 20-39years (OR: 3.950, 95 %CI: 2.474-6.308) and women who had at least one sex partners (OR: 2.963, 95 %CI: 1.149-7.639) were at higher risk for HIV infection. The use of condom during every sexual intercourse had greatly reduced the risk of transmission of HIV infection (OR: 0.145, 95 %CI: 0.098-0.214). In the context of HIV and AIDS prevention, limiting the number of sexual partners and encouraging protected sex are crucial to combating the epidemic. Successful prevention strategies should focus on HIV education, treatment of sexually transmitted infections, and proper and consistent condom use using an outreach approac