Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
|
|
Integrated Regional Information Networks - November 26, 2004
JOHANNESBURG (PLUSNEWS) - South African women with violent or controlling male partners run a higher risk of HIV infection, according to a study published in the Lancet medical journal.
The report, "Gender-based Violence, Relationship Power, and Risk of HIV infection in Women Attending Antenatal Clinics in South Africa", is based on a cross-sectional study of 1,366 women visiting antenatal clinics in the township of Soweto.
"Gender-based violence and gender inequality are increasingly cited as important determinants of women's HIV risk," the study noted.
Based on the interviews conducted with women in four health centres, the study postulates "that abusive men are more likely to have HIV and impose risky sexual practices on partners".
Researchers assessed associations between newly diagnosed HIV infection and experience of partner violence, male control in relationships, child sexual assault, forced first intercourse, and adult sexual assault by a non-partner among the women seeking antenatal care.
"The experience of being physically and sexually assaulted by a male intimate partner, or experiencing one of these a few times, or more, was associated with increased risk of HIV infection... An association between high levels of male control in a woman's current or most recent relationship and her HIV serostatus also persisted after adjustment for risk behaviours," researchers found.
They noted that more "research on connections between social constructions of masculinity, intimate partner violence, male dominance in relationships, and HIV risk behaviours in men, as well as effective interventions, is urgently needed".
Available evidence on sexual risk in abusive men supports these findings, the report noted. Research among working men in Cape Town, married men in India, and men in methadone maintenance programmes in New York noted that men who reported being perpetrators of partner violence were more likely to have concurrent sexual partnerships.
"Ultimately, addressing problems of gender-based violence and HIV will require broad community and societal-level transformations that challenge entrenched cultures of violence and male-dominant norms of gender relations," the study concluded.
The researchers noted that most HIV positive adults in sub-Saharan Africa were women.
041126
IR041190
Copyright © 2004 - Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Integrated Regional Information Network. .
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2004. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980 – 2004. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .