Volume 25 - Article 28 | Pages 869–902
An inquiry into the uneven distribution of women’s HIV infection in rural Malawi
By Michelle Poulin, Adamson S. Muula
Abstract
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.
Author's Affiliation
- Michelle Poulin - University of North Texas, United States of America EMAIL
- Adamson S. Muula - University of Malawi, Malawi EMAIL
Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research
Reporting on first sexual experience: The importance of interviewer-respondent interaction
Volume 22 - Article 11
Most recent similar articles in Demographic Research
Age-heterogamous partnerships: Prevalence and partner differences by marital status and gender composition
Volume 50 - Article 23
| Keywords:
age heterogamy,
assortative mating,
cohabitation,
marriage,
same-sex couples,
unions
Differences in mortality before retirement: The role of living arrangements and marital status in Denmark
Volume 50 - Article 20
| Keywords:
inequalities,
living arrangements,
marital status,
mortality,
retirement
Racial classification as a multistate process
Volume 50 - Article 17
| Keywords:
Brazil,
demography,
increments to life,
life expectancy,
life table,
mortality,
multistate,
race/ethnicity
Measuring short-term mobility patterns in North America using Facebook advertising data, with an application to adjusting COVID-19 mortality rates
Volume 50 - Article 10
| Keywords:
COVID-19,
data collection,
Facebook,
mortality,
North America,
short-term mobility
Fertility decline, changes in age structure, and the potential for demographic dividends: A global analysis
Volume 50 - Article 9
| Keywords:
age structure,
demographic dividend,
demographic transition,
fertility,
migration,
population momentum,
working-age population
Cited References: 107
Download to Citation Manager
PubMed
Google Scholar