Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of Study Participants
| Discordant Couples, no. (%) or median (IQR) |
||
|---|---|---|
| Females (N = 469) | Males (N = 469) | |
| HSV-2 serostatus | ||
| Negative | 124 (26.4) | 186 (39.7) |
| Equivocal | 35 (7.5) | 51 (10.9) |
| Positive | 310 (66.1) | 232 (49.5) |
| HIV-1-infected | 301 (64.2) | 168 (35.8) |
| Age | 29 (24, 34) | 35 (30, 41) |
| Married to partner | 446 (95.5) | 454 (96.8) |
| Male uncircumcised | – | 100 (21.4) |
| Years living together | 5 (2, 10) | 5 (2, 10) |
| Do not earn an income | 327 (69.7) | 71 (15.1) |
| Less than primary education | 116 (24.7) | 70 (14.9) |
| Informal Residence | 244 (52.1) | 238 (50.8) |
| Sexual debut ≤15 y old | 84 (18.0) | 107 (22.9) |
| Life-time sexual partners | 3 (2, 4) | 5 (3, 9) |
| Sex acts in the past montha | 5 (3, 7) | 5 (3, 7) |
| Any unprotected sexb | 114 (24.3) | 114 (24.3) |
| Outside sexual partner(s) | 3 (0.6) | 20 (4.3) |
| No. of childrena | 1 (1, 2) | 1 (1, 2) |
| Don't desire future childrena | 257 (55.0) | 221 (47.3) |
| Hormonal contraceptive use | 92 (19.7) | – |
| Lifetime STI history | 116 (25.4) | 196 (43.0) |
Hormonal contraception was assessed at the time of enrollment. “Informal residence” indicates residence in an informal or “slum” settlement. Age at sexual debut was dichotomized to early (age ≤15) or later (age >15), based on the 25th percentile of the cohort distribution.
Abbreviations: HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; HSV, herpes simplex virus; IQR, interquartile range; STI, sexually transmitted infection.
a With study partner.
b With study partner in the past 3 months.