Epidemiology and risk factors of HIV infection among urban women in Tanzania: evidence from Tanzania HIV/AIDS 2011-12

Rakesh Kumar Singh, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

The present study was carried out to examine the determinants of HIV infection among women who lived in an urban area in Tanzania. The Tanzania HIV/AIDS and Malaria Indicator Survey (2011-12) data has been used. The sample size for urban and rural women who were tested for HIV and ever had sex was 2227 and 6210. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used. The present study revealed that rural women were significantly less likely to be HIV-infected compared to urban women. In urban areas, the majority of women had more than two partners. Those women who had more than five sex partners were significantly four times more likely to be HIV-infected compared to women had one sex partner. There is an urgent need for a short and effective program to control the HIV epidemic in urban areas of Tanzania especially for women.