Abstract
Background: The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is higher among females than males in Sub-Saharan Africa. Education is associated with better health outcomes. For this and other reasons, African countries have made a concerted effort to increase youth education rates. However, in South Africa males have lower secondary education rates than females, yet females have a higher prevalence of HIV/AIDS. This study examines if a gender disparity exists in AIDS mortality rates among youth with secondary education in South Africa. Methods: This study uses descriptive statistics and life table techniques. A sample of 4386 deaths of youth with secondary education is used. Of this total sample, 987 deaths were among males and 340 were among females with secondary education. Results: This study shows that AIDS mortality is higher among females than males in South Africa. Males and females with secondary education have lower AIDS mortality than all males and females in the population, yet the rates are higher for females. Using cause-deleted life tables, the probability of youth dying from HIV/AIDS practically disappears for both males and females. Odds ratio calculations show that secondary education does not have a protective effect from AIDS mortality among male and female youth. Conclusion: Given the gendered difference in AIDS mortality among youth with secondary education, efforts to increase secondary education among males and further research into other factors exacerbating AIDS mortality among females with secondary education is needed in the country.
Highlights
The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/ acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) among youth inSub-Saharan Africa is high
Due to the expanded effort made in South Africa, AIDS mortality has declined from 45.9% of all deaths in 2007 to 31.1% in 2014 (Statistics SA, 2014b)
As well as AIDS mortality among those with secondary education, are higher among females than males in South Africa. Reasons for this gendered differential include both social and biological explanations for females having higher rates of infection than their male counterparts globally (WHO, 2009)
Summary
The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/ acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) among youth inSub-Saharan Africa is high. In South Africa, programme and policy makers have attempted to expand treatment to all healthcare facilities and not restrict ART to a few accredited centres in order to reduce the severity of the disease (Colvin et al, 2010) Even before this drastic step, increased availability of ART has already decreased AIDS mortality from 35.6 deaths to 2.5 deaths per 100 person-years among those accessing early treatment in the country (Lawn, Myer, Orrell, Bekker, & Wood, 2005). The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is higher among females than males in Sub-Saharan Africa. In South Africa males have lower secondary education rates than females, yet females have a higher prevalence of HIV/AIDS. This study examines if a gender disparity exists in AIDS mortality rates among youth with secondary education in South Africa. Conclusion: Given the gendered difference in AIDS mortality among youth with secondary education, efforts to increase secondary education among males and further research into other factors exacerbating AIDS mortality among females with secondary education is needed in the country
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