TY  - JOUR
A1  - Poulin, Michelle
A1  - Muula, Adamson S.
T1  - An inquiry into the uneven distribution of women’s HIV infection in rural Malawi
Y1  - 2011/12/21
JF  - Demographic Research
JO  - Demographic Research
SN  - 1435-9871
SP  - 869
EP  - 902
DO  - 10.4054/DemRes.2011.25.28
VL  - 25
IS  - 28
UR  - https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol25/28/
L1  - https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol25/28/25-28.pdf
L2  - https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol25/28/25-28.pdf
N2  - Ecological comparisons in sub-Saharan Africa show that HIV prevalence is lower where men are generally circumcised than where they are not. Randomized controlled trials have found a 50-60% reduction in HIV acquisition for newly circumcised men. Yet in Malawi, HIV prevalence is highest in several districts in the Southern Region, where men are commonly circumcised. We draw upon a population-based sample of ever-married women to explore this unexpected finding. Our data show that in the southern district of Balaka, women with circumcised spouses have a lower probability of HIV infection compared to those with uncircumcised spouses. However, the strength of this effect is conditioned by specific marital histories: among women with circumcised spouses, those with multiple marriages and an absence of spousal co-residence have a higher probability of HIV infection than do those married once and those who have never lived apart from their spouses. The history of marital turnover and female-headed households among the ethnic groups of Balaka offer insight into the district’s elevated HIV levels.

ER  -