Socioeconomic inequalities in uptake of HIV testing during antenatal care: evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa.

Louis Kobina DadzieAster Ferede GebremedhinTarif SalihuBright Opoku AhinkorahSanni Yaya
Published in: International journal for equity in health (2024)
We found that there is substantial wealth index-related inequalities in HIV testing, with women of the poorest wealth index disadvantaged in relation to the HIV testing. This emphasizes the necessity for sub-Saharan Africa public health programs to think about concentrating their limited resources on focused initiatives to grasp women from these socioeconomic circumstances. To increase women's access to HIV testing, maternal and child health programs in sub-Saharan Africa should attempt to minimize female illiteracy and poverty. Consequently, health education may be required to provide women with comprehensive HIV knowledge and decrease the number of lost opportunities for women to get tested for HIV. Given the link between knowledge of HIV and HIV testing, it is important to focus on community education and sensitization about HIV and the need to know one's status.