Maria Cabrera Escobar Nkosinathi Ngcobo & Timothy Quinlan The relationship between socio-economic status and HIV prevalence among adolescents in three South African provinces A study commissioned by Irish Aid Maria Cabrera Escobar Nkosinathi Ngcobo & Timothy Quinlan

South Africa: 5.4 million people HIV infected (2006) ¼ (1.3 million) were under 25 years of age HIV prevalence (15 - 24 years) was 10.4% Adolescents age category is known to be susceptible to HIV infection Risk - related to various factors: e.g. the income of parents, relationships with peers, neighborhood, learning and work environments (CADRE)

Objective To study sexual exposure and behaviour, substance abuse and HIV prevalence of the South African adolescent in relation to their socio-economic status

Materials and Methods Cross-sectional study Secondary data sets Adolescents from 14 – 19 years. Representative sampling from 3 provinces: KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga & Limpopo

Data-source Data set: Youth Questionnaires 2005 from Reproductive Health Research Unit (RHRU, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg) Total Sample Size (SA): 11 904 Our sample size (3 provinces): n = 3099

Variables of interest Dependent Variables: HIV Prevalence Sexual Risk (exposure and non-usage of condom) Substance abuse (sex under influence of alcohol & drugs) Independent variables: Demographics Level of Education Household conditions (electricity and building materials)

Statistical Analysis Descriptive statistics Logistic regression Significance level at 95%

Findings Mean age: 17 years Male: 49% Female: 51% HIV status (+ve) (14–19 years): 5.4% KwaZulu-Natal: 7.5% Mpumalanga: 5.8% Limpopo: 2.5%

Sexual exposure and behaviour (exposure & non-usage of condom) OR = 1.7 (CI, 1.6 – 1.8) Gender: Male = 0.7 (CI, 0.6 – 0.9) Female = 1 Socio-economic status: High = 0.8 (CI, 0.7 – 0.9) Medium = 0.7 (CI, 1.4 – 4.1) Low = 1

Sex under influence of alcohol Age: OR = 1.8 (CI, 1.6 – 2.1) Gender: Male = 4.9 (CI, 3.4 – 7.3), Female = 1 Socio-economic status: High = 2.4 (CI, 1.4 – 4.1) Medium = 2.3 (CI, 1.5 – 3.8) Low = 1

Sex under influence of drugs Only boys reported Age: OR = 1.5 (CI, 1.4 – 2.9) Socio-economic status: High = 1.1 (CI, 1.4 – 2.9) Low = 1

Conclusion Age Gender Socio-economic status significant effect on  had an influence on risky sexual exposure and behaviour Gender  girls were more likely to be HIV infected than boys Socio-economic status significant effect on  risky sexual exposure and behaviour  sex under the influence of substance abuse

Recommendations Further in-depth research on this topic Calculate socio-economic index more effectively

University of KwaZulu-Natal Thank You!