Table 1.
Characteristics of DHS/AIS participants from 33 sub‐Saharan African countries, by gender
| Characteristic | Overall (n = 1,187,077) | Women (n = 791,186) | Men (n = 395,891) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD), y | 29.2 (10.3) | 28.6 (9.5) | 30.6 (11.6) |
| Achieved more than primary education | 36% | 32% | 44% |
| Married | 61% | 65% | 55% |
| Household asset index, mean (SE)a | 18,440 (221) | 19,021 (269) | 17,278 (389) |
| Employed | 63% | 56% | 76% |
| Answered correctly “Can the risk of HIV transmission be reduced by having sex with only one faithful uninfected partner?” | 86% | 85% | 88% |
| Answered correctly “Can the risk of HIV transmission be reduced by using condoms?” | 75% | 72% | 80% |
| Answered correctly “Can a healthy‐looking person have HIV?” | 78% | 76% | 82% |
| Answered correctly “Can a person get HIV from mosquito bites?” | 63% | 62% | 64% |
| Answered correctly “Can a person get HIV by sharing a meal with someone who is infected?” | 77% | 76% | 80% |
| HIV knowledge score (out of 5) | |||
| 0 | 2% | 2% | 1% |
| 1 | 4% | 5% | 3% |
| 2 | 10% | 10% | 8% |
| 3 | 19% | 20% | 18% |
| 4 | 29% | 28% | 30% |
| 5 | 37% | 35% | 41% |
| Mean HIV knowledge score, out of 5 (SD) | 3.8 (1.2) | 3.7 (1.3) | 3.9 (1.2) |
| People aged <25 years old | 3.8 (1.2) | 3.7 (1.3) | 3.9 (1.2) |
| People aged ≥25 years old | 3.8 (1.2) | 3.7 (1.3) | 4.0 (1.2) |
| Possessed comprehensive HIV knowledge (answered all 5 questions correctly) | 37% | 35% | 41% |
| People aged <25 years old | 37% | 35% | 40% |
| People aged ≥25 years old | 37% | 35% | 41% |
All t‐tests/chi‐square tests for differences by gender yielded p‐values of less than 0.001. DHS, Demographic and Health Surveys; AIS, AIDS Indicator Surveys; SD, standard deviation; SE, standard error.
a
More information about the construction of the household asset index can be found in Filmer and Pritchett 28, 29. Information about how the household asset index was specifically operationalized in the DHS/AIS is available at: http://www.dhsprogram.com/topics/wealth-index/Index.cfm.