Factors Affecting the Uptake of Voluntary HIV/AIDS Testing and Counseling Services among Women of Central Uganda

Abstract

There was approximately 37.9 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2017 (WHO, 2017). Statistics further show that 25.3 million people have died of HIV-related diseases. To understand factors affecting the uptake of voluntary HIV/AIDS testing and counseling services among women, a study was conducted in the Central Region-Uganda to understand factors affecting the uptake of voluntary HIV/AIDS testing and counseling services among women in the region. Thereafter, the study analyzed data from the 2016 Uganda Demographic Health Survey dataset (UBOS & ICF INC, 2016).The research analyzed the influence of the different independent factors among women in reproductive age groups (15-49) years within the region on their testing status. The analysis involved a descriptive analysis of the characteristics of women to determine the effect of background characteristics and voluntary HIV/AIDS testing and Counseling. The findings from the study suggest that the highest proportion of the respondents were aged 20-24 (23.2%)and the least percentage was aged 44-49 (5.6%), had at least primary education (42.7%). Majority of women were of catholic faith (34.6%). The urban residents constituted the highest proportion (50.6%). Further analysis showed that there was a highly significant relationship between age of the women, education level, marital status, with (p-value 0.000) the rest of the factors were not significant. Based on the study findings, HIV testing is very important more so to the women in their reproductive age. Therefore the researcher recommends that Free and friendly home-based HIV Testing and counseling services should be increased, this will help to increase the uptake of voluntary HIV Testing and Counseling (HTC) services among the general population, but also to substantially reduce the socioeconomic gradient in HTC utilization observed in the Central region of Uganda should be availed to the citizens, the poor, the marginalized and the disabled