Final project - HIV prevalence in Lesotho
Giulia Rathmes
2023-01-31
HIV prevalence by region in Lesotho 2014
Across the 3,321 surveyed women (ages 15 to 49), 934 women (28.1%) had HIV.
HIV prevalence by region in Lesotho 2014
Figure 1 shows the HIV prevalence by region. Leribe is the region with the highest prevalence of HIV (32%), whereas Botha-Bothe had the lowest prevalence (22%) of HIV in 2014.
Demographics in Leribe and Botha-Bothe
a. Age distrubtion of women in Leribe vs. Botha-Bothe
Age distribution in Leribe vs. Botha-Bothe
Figure 2 illustrates the age distribution in Leribe, the region with the highest HIV prevalence, versus Botha-Bothe, the region with the lowest HIV prevalence. The distribution of age was similar in Leribe to Botha-Bothe.
b. Educational status of women in Leribe vs. Botha-Bothe
Level of education in Leribe vs. Botha-Bothe
Figure 3 illustrates the level of education in women aged 15-49 in Leribe vs. Botha-Bothe. The educational background was similar in Leribe to Botha-Bothe. In Leribe 66.3% and in Botha-Bothe 63% had achieved secondary education or higher.
c. Number of sexual partners in Leribe vs. Botha-Bothe
Number of sexual partners in Leribe vs. Botha-Bothe
Figure 4 shows the number of sexual partners in Leribe, the region with the highest HIV prevalence, and in Botha-Bothe, the region with the lowest HIV prevalence. In Leribe, 8% of women aged 15-49 had sex with two or more sexual partners, whereas 24% never had sex. In Botha-Bothe, 4% had sex with two or more sexual partners, whereas 25% never had sex.
Analysis of demographic variables and HIV prevalence
a. HIV Prevalence in Leribe and Botha-Bothe by age group
HIV Prevalence in Leribe and Botha-Bothe by age group
In Leribe 30-34 year-olds had the highest prevalence of HIV (51%), wheres in Botha-Bothe 30-34 year-olds had a low prevalence of HIV (19%). In Botha-Bothe the highest prevalence of HIV was among 35-39 year-olds (47%).
b. HIV Prevalence in Leribe and Botha-Bothe by educational status
HIV Prevalence in Leribe and Botha-Bothe by educational status
In Leribe and Botha-Bothe the prevalence of HIV decreased by the degree of education. In Leribe women with primary education had the highest prevalence of HIV (41%), whereas in Botha-Bothe women with no education had the highest prevalence of HIV (67%).
c. HIV Prevalence in Leribe and Botha-Bothe by the number of sexual partners
HIV Prevalence in Leribe and Botha-Bothe by the number of sexual partners
In Leribe women that had four or more sexual partners had the highest prevalence of HIV (100%). In Botha-bothe the highest prevalence of HIV was in the group that did not give any information on their sexual activity (60%).
Conclusion
In summary, HIV prevalence was highest in Leribe, which could be in part due to women being more liberal and having more sexual partners than in other regions, especially compared to Botha-Bothe. In Botha-Bothe especially women who were uneducated had the highest prevelance of HIV. Targeted educational programs in those groups of women are needed to decrease the burden of HIV in the area.