Sociodemographic Correlates of HIV Discordant and Concordant Couples in Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The contribution of discordant partnerships to the burden of HIV/AIDS is significant. An understanding of the characteristics of HIV- affected couples will help modify preventive strategies. The aim of this study was to compare the HIV discordant and concordant partnerships for sociodemographic determinants in comprehensive health centers in Anambra State, Nigeria.
METHODS: This was an institution based case-control study of 289 (148 HIV-concordant and 141 HIV-discordant) couples, selected using multistage sampling technique. Data collection was done through nterview using semi-structured questionnaire, while analysis was performed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22.0. Chi-square and t tests were used to identify statistically significant associations between variables. Significance level was set at p value of < 0.05.
RESULTS: There were more HIV-discordant positive males 83(28.6%) than females 58(20.1%) (p = 0.043). The mean age (SD) of respondents was 37.8(9.8) years. Concordant couples tended to be younger than discordant couples, with differences in mean ages of 2.41 years (p = 0.028) for males and 2.87 years (p = 0.007) for females. There were no significant differences in proportion of remarriages (p = 0.625) and type of marriage (p = 0.900). The majority of remarriages among discordant couples 15(65.2%), were due to divorce of previous spouses (p = 0.054).
CONCLUSIONS: This study found that there were more HIV positive males than females among discordant couples; females in discordant relationships were generally younger than their concordant counterparts. Concordant couples tended to be younger than discordant couples. Such knowledge should be factored in designing novel couple-targeted preventive strategies.

KEYWORDS: Sero-concordant, couples, sero-discordant, HIV, determinants, Nigeria