Determinants of Discriminatory Attitudes Towards People Living with HIV Among Women of Reproductive Age in Nepal: A Trend Analysis From National Surveys

Abstract

This study examines the effect of education and mass media on discriminatory attitudes towards people living with HIV (PLHIV) among women in Nepal. Data were drawn from the Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys 2006, 2011, and 2016 and covered 36,329 women of reproductive age (WRA) 15–49 years. An example of discriminatory attitude towards PLHIV is not wanting to buy fresh vegetables from a shopkeeper or vendor if an individual knew that the seller had HIV. Discriminatory attitude toward PLHIV has increased significantly over time (27.3% in 2006 to 29.7% in 2011 and 34.2% in 2016) among the WRA. Women who had no education and only primary education were 23% (aOR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.13–1.34) and 46% (aOR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.35–1.58) more likely to be affected by discriminatory attitudes, respectively, than those who had secondary or above education. Similarly, women who did not read newspapers were about five times more likely (aOR = 4.91, 95% CI 2.65–9.10) to develop a discriminatory attitude towards PLHIV than those who read newspapers almost every day. A similar trend was observed in exposure to television as well. This study illuminated the significance of women’s education and media exposure in minimizing the discriminatory attitude towards PLHIV. A new intervention is needed since existing interventions could not reduce the discriminatory attitude towards PLHIV.