Table 2. Characteristics of the female heads of households by tertiles of NLD and SoE stigma scoresa.
| NLD (n = 3219) | SoE (n = 3271) | ||||||||
| Total | 1st Tertile | 2nd Tertile | 3rd Tertile | P-value | 1st Tertile | 2nd Tertile | 3rd Tertile | P-value | |
| Sample N (%) | 3323 | (37.7) | (27.2) | (34.1) | (20.8) | (37.9) | (41.3) | ||
| Age (years), median (IQR) | 28 (23–36) | 28 | 29 | 28 | 0.057 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 0.162 |
| Education (years), median (IQR) | 2 (0–4) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0.211 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0.017 |
| Distance from health facility (km), median (IQR) | 6.2 (3.2–10.3) | 6.6 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 0.012 | 5.8 | 6.2 | 7.6 | <0.001 |
| Geographically isolated district, % (95% CI) | 56.4 (43.1, 69.7) | 58.6 | 50.1 | 58.1 | <0.001 | 69.0 | 45.8 | 55.5 | 0.704 |
| Respondent understands Portuguese, % (95% CI) | 42.0 (35.3, 48.8) | 39.8 | 43.5 | 43.9 | 0.324 | 39.0 | 44.8 | 40.6) | 0.011 |
| Marital status, % (95% CI) | 0.587 | 0.275 | |||||||
| Married/Common Law | 74.5 (70.9, 78.0) | 73.5 | 74.1 | 76.0) | 78.6 | 73.5 | 68.9 | ||
| Divorced/Separated | 3.7 (1.6, 5.9) | 2.6 | 7.5 | 2.4 | 5.6 | 3.2 | 2.7 | ||
| Single | 17.0 (13.6, 20.5) | 18.7 | 15.3 | 16.2 | 10.7 | 18.1 | 25.0 | ||
| Widowed | 4.8 (2.6, 7.0) | 5.2 | 3.1 | 5.4 | 5.0 | 5.2 | 3.4 | ||
| Religion, % (95% CI)b | <0.001 | 0.012 | |||||||
| Catholic | 47.7 (41.3, 54.0) | 43.4 | 51.1 | 50.8 | 41.3 | 53.7 | 49.6 | ||
| Protestant | 12.7 (9.4, 16.1) | 18.2 | 8.7 | 8.5 | 14.8 | 13.4 | 12.1 | ||
| Evangelical and Pentecostal | 16.6 (11.7, 21.6) | 15.4 | 17.2 | 17.9 | 18.6 | 10.9 | 17.2 | ||
| Other Christian | 4.4 (1.4, 7.4) | 3.8 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 6.6 | 3.1 | 4.0 | ||
| Muslim | 9.0 (5.4, 12.5) | 10.5 | 7.6 | 7.8 | 10.5 | 9.3 | 6.8 | ||
| Non-Christian Eastern | 2.1 (1.1, 3.1) | 1.3 | 3.8 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 1.1 | ||
| Other | 7.5 (5.0, 10.0) | 7.4 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 9.1 | ||
| HIV knowledge (score) (n = 3219) | 3 (0–4) | 3 | 3 | 2 | <0.001 | 3 (1–5) | 3 (1–4) | 2 (0–4) | <0.001 |
| HIV infection of self, relative, and/or friend, % (95% CI) | 12.5 (7.8, 17.3) | 13.0 | 12.2 | 12.2 | 0.108 | 16.5 | 11.5 | 8.8 | <0.001 |
| Ever used VCT, % (95% CI) | 20.3 (15.1, 25.6) | 23.2 | 19.6 | 17.3 | 0.375 | 29.6 | 15.8 | 16.6 | <0.001 |
| Accessed health facility (%, n = 3219) | 76.9 (72.6, 81.2) | 77.7 | 81.1 | 72.8 | 0.939 | 80.8 | 75.0 | 72.6 | <0.001 |
| Accessed pharmacy, % (95% CI) | 22.5 (15.6, 29.5) | 21.9 | 21.3 | 24.2 | 0.212 | 23.9 | 24.3 | 19.9 | 0.051 |
| Accessed traditional healer, % (95% CI) | 45.9 (41.3, 50.4) | 44.1 | 48.2 | 46.5 | <0.001 | 50.0 | 43.1 | 44.3 | 0.008 |
| Number of health services accessed, % (95% CI) | 1 (1–2) | 1 (1–2) | 1 (1–2) | 1 (1–2) | 0.855 | 1 (1–2) | 1 (1–2) | 1 (1–2) | <0.001 |
| Believes ART helps people with HIV to be healthier, % (95% CI) | 31.5 (23.5, 39.4) | 29.5 | 31.2 | 34.1 | 0.003 | 43.5 | 32.4 | 17.6 | <0.001 |
| Believes in alternative treatment for HIV, % (95% CI) | 9.5 (7.3, 11.7) | 7.9 | 10.5 | 10.9 | 0.002 | 9.0 | 11.1 | 6.8 | <0.001 |
| Perceived chance of becoming infected with HIV, % (95% CI) | 0.073 | <0.001 | |||||||
| Don't know | 47.8 (42.2, 53.3) | 47.7 | 41.1 | 52.6 | 49.1 | 39.7 | 56.1 | ||
| No chance | 24.5 (20.7, 28.4) | 25.2 | 29.2 | 20.4 | 18.4 | 28.9 | 25.7 | ||
| Small chance | 19.8 (16.2, 23.3) | 18.3 | 24.1 | 18.6) | 20.5 | 24.8 | 12.9 | ||
| Good chance | 5.7 (4.0, 7.4) | 6.6 | 4.0 | 5.7 | 8.2 | 5.6 | 3.9 | ||
| Already infected | 2.2 (1.1, 3.3) | 2.2 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 1.4 | ||
| Social integration (score), median (IQR) | 89.3 (75–96.4) | 89.3 | 87.5 | 89.3 | <0.001 | 89.3 | 88 | 89.3 | 0.128 |
| Empowerment (score), median (IQR) | 50 (33.3–58.3) | 50 | 50 | 50 | <0.001 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 0.476 |
| Legal rights (score), median (IQR) | 100 (72.2–100) | 100 | 88.9 | 83.3 | <0.001 | 100 | 88.9 | 88.9 | 0.005 |
| Income, median (IQR) | 300 (0–700) | 300 | 150 | 300 | 0.011 | 300 | 286 | 150 | <0.001 |
[a]
Continuous variables are reported as weighted estimates of median (interquartile range), with each observation being weighted by the inverse of the household sampling probability. Categorical variables are reported as weighted percentages, with each observation being weighted by the inverse of the household sampling probability. The 95% confidence intervals include precision estimates that incorporate the effects of stratification and clustering. Tests of association with stigma scale (continuous) include Spearman's rank correlation (continuous) and rank sum test (categorical).
[b]
‘Other Christian’ includes LDS Mormon and Jehovah's Witness. ‘Other’ includes Spiritual, Traditional Religions, and Agnostic or Atheist.