Abstract:
BACKGROUND : South Africa has not achieved the 90–90–90 goals, in part due to low rates of antiretroviral therapy
(ART) initiation among those aware of their HIV status. Perceived risk of HIV at the time of testing may affect likelihood
of rapid ART initiation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate factors associated with perceived risk of HIV and the
relationship between perceived HIV risk and rapid ART initiation during the universal test and treat era which was
adapted in October 2016.
METHODS : We conducted a prospective study of adults undergoing HIV testing from October 2016–February 2019 at
Ithembalabantu Clinic in Durban. Eligible participants reported not previously being diagnosed with HIV. Before HIV
testing, participants were asked to assess their perceived HIV risk on a four-level scale. We categorized “definitely not”
and “probably not going to acquire HIV” as a low perceived risk, and “probably will” and “definitely will become HIVinfected”
as a high perceived risk of HIV infection. Participants were followed for up to 14 months following HIV testing
to assess ART initiation.
RESULTS : Among 1519 people newly diagnosed with HIV, 55% were female and mean age was 33 years. Among
those, 1382 (90.9%) had a high HIV risk perception and 137 (9.1%) reported low HIV risk perception. In the low risk
group individuals were more likely to be female (58% vs 55%), unemployed (62% vs 59%), have a partner with
unknown HIV status (61% vs 55%) compared to the high risk group. 83.2% of those with low HIV risk perception
reported previously HIV testing compared 91.5% of those with high HIV risk perception. In the multivariate model,
males were associated with a higher chances of initiating ART compared to females (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR):
1.187, CI 1.187 (1.060–1.329) and being unemployed (aHR 0.767 CI (0.650–0.905). Those with a low HIV risk perception
were less likely to initiate ART 125 (91%) vs 1310 (95%) p = 0.022), and took longer to initiate on ART after HIV diagnosis
(11 days’ vs 4 days, p = 0.042).
CONCLUSION : Factors associated with high HIV risk perception included being unemployed, single, and having a
partner of unknown HIV status. People living with HIV (PLHIV) in South Africa who had a low self-perceived risk to HIV
infection were less likely to initiate ART. Assessing self-perceived risk of HIV infection may help direct counselling and improve ART initiation to achieve universal 90–90–90 goal.
