HIV treatment scale-up and HIV-related stigma in sub-Saharan Africa: A longitudinal cross-country analysis

B.T. Chan, A.C. Tsai and M.J. Siedner

American Journal of Public Health, 2015, vol. 105, issue 8, 1581-1587

Abstract: Objectives. We estimated the association between antiretroviral therapy (ART) uptake and HIV-related stigma at the population level in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods. We examined trends in HIV-related stigma and ART coverage in sub-Saharan Africa during 2003 to 2013 using longitudinal, population-based data on ART coverage from the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS and on HIV-related stigma from the Demographic and Health Surveys and AIDS Indicator Surveys. We fitted 2 linear regression models with country fixed effects, with the percentage of men or women reporting HIV-related stigma as the dependent variable and the percentage of people living with HIV on ART as the explanatory variable. Results. Eighteen countries in sub-Saharan Africa were included in our analysis. For each 1% increase in ART coverage, we observed a statistically significant decrease in the percentage of women (b = -0.226; P = .007; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.383, -0.070) and men (b = -0.281; P = .009; 95% CI = -0.480, -0.082) in the general population reporting HIV-related stigma. Conclusions. An important benefit of ART scale-up may be the diminution of HIV-related stigma in the general population. © 2015, American Public Health Association Inc. All rights reserved.

Keywords: antivirus agent, adolescent; adult; Africa south of the Sahara; female; HIV Infections; human; longitudinal study; male; middle aged; patient attitude; psychology; questionnaire; sex difference; statistics and numerical data; stereotyping; young adult, Adolescent; Adult; Africa South of the Sahara; Antiviral Agents; Female; HIV Infections; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Sex Factors; Stereotyping; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2015.302716_0

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302716

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