Abstract:
Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), aged 15–24 years, experience higher HIV incidence compared to their male counterparts, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where the HIV burden is highest. This study determined trends in self-reported HIV testing and associated factors among AGYW in Zimbabwe using the Zimbabwe DHS datasets for 2005/6, 2010/11, and 2015. The proportion of adolescents aged 15–19 years who had ever tested for HIV increased from 14.7% in 2005/6 to 26.5% in 2010/11 and 47.9% in 2015. Among young women, aged 20–24 years, the proportion increased from 34.8% in 2005/6 to 68.7% in 2010/11 and 84.8% in 2015. The odds of ever having an HIV test were significantly higher for those with a higher education (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 12.49, 95% CI: 2.69 to 57.92, p = 0.001), comprehensive HIV knowledge (aOR 1.91, 95% CI: 1.31 to 2.78, p = 0.001), knowledge about mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) (aOR 2.09, 95% CI: 1.55 to 2.82, p < 0.001), non-discriminatory attitudes (aOR 1.60, 95% CI: 1.12 to 2.28, p = 0.010), three or more lifetime sexual partners (aOR 2.0, 95% CI: 1.09 to 3.66, p = 0.025), and a history of pregnancy (aOR 6.08, 95% CI: 4.22 to 8.75, p < 0.001). There is need to scale-up programmes targeting AGYW.
