The contribution of antenatal care to the coverage and correlates of HIV testing among adults in Zimbabwe 2005–06

Abstract

Expanding the availability, utilization and coverage of HIV testing services is a critical step towards primary prevention and successful delivery of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Zimbabwe. We used data from the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (2005-2006) to examine the coverage and correlates of recent HIV testing (HIV testing <24 months preceding the survey) among HIV-positive and HIV-negative adults. We estimated the relative contribution of HIV testing in both the antenatal care (ANC) setting and non-ANC settings. Uptake of recent HIV testing was 14.4% among women and 11.1% among men, with HIV testing in ANC accounting for 42.3% and 10.3% of all recent testing among women and men, respectively. In the multivariate analyses, recent pregnancies and being aware of ART were independent correlates after controlling for demographic and socioeconomic variables. HIV testing in ANC was an important contributor to HIV testing coverage in Zimbabwe by reaching not only pregnant women but also their partners.