What Factors are Responsible for Higher Prevalence of HIV Infection among Urban Women than Rural Women in Tanzania?

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Tanzania is the country hit the hardest by the HIV epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa.The present study was carried out to examine the factors of HIV infection among women who lived in anurban area in Tanzania.METHODS: The Tanzania HIV/AIDS and Malaria Indicator Survey (2011-12) data was used. Thesample size for urban and rural women who had been tested for HIV and ever had sex was 2227 and6210 respectively. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used.RESULTS: The present study found that rural women were significantly less likely to be HIV-infectedcompared to urban women (OR = 0.612, p<0.00). About 10% urban women were HIV-infected whereas5.8% women in rural areas were HIV positive. Women who had more than five sex partners weresignificantly four times more likely to be HIV-infected as compared to women who had one sex partner(OR = 4.49, p<0.00).CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that less-educated women, women belonging to poor orpoorer quintile, women spending nights outside and women having more than one sex partner weresignificantly more likely to have HIV infection among urban women as compared to rural women. Thereis an urgent need for a short and effective program to control the HIV epidemic in urban areas ofTanzania especially for less-educated urban women.