HIV/AIDS prevalence information and individual protective sexual behaviours in Uganda: An empirical examination

Abstract

The responsiveness of individual sexual behaviour to HIV/AIDS prevalence knowledge and information greatly determines the spread of the epidemic and the future prevalence rates among a given society. Understanding the relationship between disease prevalence information and individual behavioural response to the disease is becoming a major focus of epidemiological studies especially in developing countries, to explain how infectious diseases spread among people. The study therefore, sought to establish the association between HIV/AIDS prevalence information and condom use among men in Uganda aged between 15 to 54 years. The study used and compared two Demographic Health Surveys of 2006 and 2011 in Uganda. A univariate logistic model was applied to examine the Susceptible Infectious “SI” theory of economic epidemiology in the Uganda context. The results show that; the number of men who reported condom use remained steadily low between 2006 and 2011. HIV prevalence knowledge and information was significantly associated with condom use among men in Uganda. Other covariates including; marital status, condom accessibility and HIV testing were significantly associated with the odds condom use among men in Uganda for the years under study. The study concludes that, more effort towards increasing knowledge and information on HIV/AIDS in a more effective way may further improve individual sexual behaviours defined by condom use in Uganda and reduce future prevalence.