HIV TESTING UPTAKE AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS AMONG WOMEN IN BANGUI, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC. A cross-sectional study investigating the association between provider-initiated HIV testing uptake and socio-economic status among women aged 15-49 in a family planning clinic.

Abstract Background Increasing HIV testing coverage is a priority for countries struggling to curb the epidemic of HIV. Previous studies have shown an association between socio-economic status and testing uptake. Provider-initiated testing and counseling (PITC) is strategy that shows promise in increasing testing uptake. Objectives The main objectives of the study were to determine uptake of PITC among women of reproductive age in a family planning clinic, and to establish whether testing uptake was associated with socio-economic status. In order to achieve this, we also aimed to develop a measure of socio-economic status in the Central African Republic, and find a proxy for socio-economic status for use in future studies. Methodology A cross-sectional design was used in this study. 1419 participants were recruited among the patients in the family planning clinic. Data was collected through a questionnaire developed for the study. Four different measures of socio-economic status were developed through a point system based on qualitative interviews. Three further measures were developed using Principal Component Analysis. A logistic regression model was built based on a directed acyclical graph to test the exposures and control for confounding factors. Results The outcome PITC uptake was measured to 87,7%. One measure of SES was associated with the exposure in a crude analysis, but this association disappeared when we controlled for marital status. No further significant association was found with socio-economic status. Conclusion PITC was successfully implemented in the family planning clinic, with high testing uptake. Testing uptake was not associated with socio-economic status, which may indicate that PITC can be a promising strategy to reduce the barrier of socioeconomic status to testing