What question did this study set out to answer?

This study investigates the prevalence and determinants of lifetime HIV testing among high-risk adults in Mozambique.

March 28, 2026International Journal of Health Geographics0 citationsOpen Access

Geospatial and multilevel analysis of lifetime HIV testing uptake among high-risk adults in Mozambique: evidence from the 2022–2023 DHS

TYThomas kidanemariam Yewodiaw HEHelen Lamesgin EndalewUniversity of Gondar MGMihret GetnetUniversity of Gondar

Key Points

This study investigates the prevalence and determinants of lifetime HIV testing among high-risk adults in Mozambique.
Conducted cross-sectional analysis of 15,393 high-risk adults using DHS data.
Applied descriptive statistics and spatial analyses like Moran’s I, hotspot analysis, and Kriging interpolation.
Used multilevel logistic regression to identify individual- and community-level factors influencing testing uptake.
63.7% of high-risk adults reported ever testing for HIV.
Higher testing uptake observed among females (66%) compared to males (57%), and in urban (76%) versus rural (56%) settings.
Significant disparities seen, with uptake in southern provinces like Maputo City at 87.7%, while Zambezia in the north showed only 44.9%.

Abstract

Abstract Background HIV testing is a critical entry point for prevention and treatment, yet disparities in uptake persist among high-risk populations in Mozambique. This study investigates the prevalence, spatial distribution, and determinants of lifetime HIV testing among high-risk adults aged 15–49 using 2022–2023 DHS data. Methods A cross-sectional analysis of 15,393 high-risk adults was conducted. Descriptive statistics, spatial analyses (Moran’s I, hotspot analysis, Kriging interpolation, SaTScan), and multilevel logistic regression models were applied to identify individual- and community-level factors associated with HIV testing uptake. We estimated the weighted prevalence of lifetime HIV testing uptake. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals were reported to measure the association between explanatory variables and HIV testing uptake, while statistical significance was determined using p-values < 0.05. Results Overall, 63.7% of high-risk adults had ever tested for HIV. Testing uptake was higher among females (66%) than males (57%), and among urban (76%) versus rural residents (56%). The highest testing rate was in the 25–34 age group (78%) and lowest among adolescents 15–19 years (31%). Wealth, education, marital status, employment, media exposure, and HIV knowledge positively influenced testing. Significant regional disparities were observed, with southern provinces (Maputo City 87.7%) showing higher uptake than northern and central provinces (Zambezia 44.9%). Spatial analysis confirmed strong clustering (Moran’s I = 0.78, p < 0.001), identifying low-testing hotspots in northern and central rural areas. Multilevel modeling showed individual and community factors explained 62.9% of between-cluster variance, with females (AOR = 2.39), higher education (AOR = 6.44), marriage (AOR = 4), and urban residence (AOR = 1.58) significantly increasing odds of testing. Conclusion HIV testing uptake in Mozambique remains uneven across socio-demographic and geographic groups. Targeted and equity-focused interventions are needed to expand testing among adolescents, men, rural populations, and residents of northern and central provinces. Strengthening community-based testing services, improving health education, and addressing geographic barriers will be essential for accelerating progress toward national HIV control targets

AI에게 질문

Bookmark

View Full Paper