HIV/AIDS and Contraceptive Method Choice: Demographic and Socio-Economic Correlates of Contraceptive Method Choice Among HIV-Positive Women Practising Family Planning in Kenya
Kenya has a generalized HIV epidemic, driven primarily by hetero sexual transmission.
According to recent estimates, national HIV prevalence among adults aged 15-64 years
was 5.6% in 2012, translating to an estimated 1.2 million adults living with HIV.
Women are disproportionately affected (prevalence of 6.9% for females
versus 4.4% for males in 2012) and wide regional variations exist in the country.
Despite a recent overall national decline in HIV prevalence among adults
aged 15-64 in Kenya from 7.2% in 2007 to 5.6% in 2012, the prevalence in
the worst affected region of Nyanza Province remained unchanged
at about 15% during the same period.
Prevailing trends for women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) mirror these national
patterns-the prevalence declined from around 9% in 2003 to 7% in 2012,
but remained unchanged at about 18% in the highest prevalence region of Nyanza province.
An earlier study revealed unique reproductive experiences of women in the highest HIV
prevalence setting of Nyanza province,2 suggesting an intricate link between HIV and
reproductive behaviour.
Notwithstanding impressive strides in HIV testing and treatment coverage in
the country during recent years, the number of people living with HIV has remained high.
It has been noted that as Kenya’s HIV epidemic continues
to evolve, there is need for continued evidence-based action
to respond to emerging challenges, which include addressing the reproductive
needs of the large number of women living with HIV.
HIV/AIDS Res Treat Open J. 2016; 3(1): 1-12. doi: 10.17140/HARTOJ-3-119
