Access to Social Capital and Risk of HIV Infection in Bukoba Urban District, Kagera Region, Tanzania

Overview

Journal Arch Public Health

Publisher Biomed Central

Date 2015 Feb 12

PMID 25671111

Citations 12

Authors

Gasto Frumence

Maria Emmelin

Malin Eriksson

Gideon Kwesigabo

Japhet Killewo

Sabrina Moyo

Lennarth Nystrom

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Kagera is one of the 22 regions of Tanzania mainland, which has witnessed a decline in HIV prevalence during the past two decades; decreasing from 24% in 1987 to 4.7 in 2009 in the urban district of Bukoba. Access to social capital, both structural and cognitive, might have played a role in this development. The aim was to examine the association between individual structural and cognitive social capital and socio-economic characteristics and the likelihood of being HIV infected.

Methods: We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study of 3586 participants, of which 3423 (95%) agreed to test for HIV following pre-test counseling. The HIV testing was performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antibody detection tests. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to estimate the impact of socio-economic factors, individual structural and cognitive social capital and HIV sero-status.

Results: Individuals who had access to low levels of both structural and cognitive individual social capital were four and three times more likely to be HIV positive compared to individuals who had access to high levels. The associations remained statistically significant for both individual structural and cognitive social capital after adjusting for potential confounding factors such as age, sex, marital status, occupation, level of education and wealth index (OR =8.6, CI: 5.7-13.0 and OR =2.4, CI: 1.6-3.5 for individual structural and cognitive social capital respectively). For both women and men access to high levels of individual structural and cognitive social capital decreased the risk of being HIV infected. This study confirms previous qualitative studies indicating that access to structural and cognitive social capital is protective to HIV infection.

Conclusions: We suggest that policy makers and programme managers of HIV interventions may consider strengthening and facilitating access to social capital as a way of promoting HIV preventive information and interventions in order to reduce new HIV infections in Tanzania.

Citing Articles

Community Social Capital, Racial Diversity, and Philanthropic Resource Mobilization in the Time of a Pandemic.

Hwang H, Lee Y City Community. 2023; 22(1):22-47.

PMID: 37038511 PMC: 10076987. DOI: 10.1177/15356841221119181.

Exploring the Influence of Social Capital on HIV Prevention with Migrants from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Living in Durban, South Africa.

Buhendwa M, Sliep Y, Mchunu G, Nxumalo C Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023; 20(1).

PMID: 36612938 PMC: 9819981. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20010618.

The social capital effect on HIV/AIDS preventive efforts: a meta-analysis.

Nugraheni R, Murti B, Irawanto M, Sulaiman E, Pamungkasari E J Med Life. 2022; 15(10):1212-1217.

PMID: 36420290 PMC: 9675296. DOI: 10.25122/jml-2021-0348.

Social capital and health information seeking in China.

Lu Q, Chang A, Yu G, Yang Y, Schulz P BMC Public Health. 2022; 22(1):1525.

PMID: 35948901 PMC: 9364581. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-13895-2.

Development and validity evidence of the multidimensional scale of sexual self-concept in a Spanish-speaking context.

Ferrer-Urbina R, Sepulveda-Paez G, Henriquez D, Acevedo-Castillo D, Llewellyn-Alvarado D Psicol Reflex Crit. 2020; 32(1):22.

PMID: 32027012 PMC: 6966990. DOI: 10.1186/s41155-019-0136-1.

References

Aboud S, Urassa W, Lyamuya E, Mhalu F, Biberfeld G . Evaluation of HIV antibody and antigen/antibody combination ELISAs for use in an alternative confirmatory HIV testing strategy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. J Virol Methods. 2006; 135(2):192-6. DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2006.03.005. View

Agardh A, Emmelin M, Muriisa R, Ostergren P . Social capital and sexual behavior among Ugandan university students. Glob Health Action. 2010; 3. PMC: 2967277. DOI: 10.3402/gha.v3i0.5432. View

Killewo J, Nyamuryekunge K, Sandstrom A, Bredberg-Raden U, Wall S, Mhalu F . Prevalence of HIV-1 infection in the Kagera region of Tanzania: a population-based study. AIDS. 1990; 4(11):1081-5. DOI: 10.1097/00002030-199011000-00005. View

Black N . Evidence based policy: proceed with care. BMJ. 2001; 323(7307):275-9. PMC: 1120888. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.323.7307.275. View

Ziersch A, Baum F . Involvement in civil society groups: Is it good for your health?. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2004; 58(6):493-500. PMC: 1732805. DOI: 10.1136/jech.2003.009084. View

Subramanian S, Kim D, Kawachi I . Social trust and self-rated health in US communities: a multilevel analysis. J Urban Health. 2002; 79(4 Suppl 1):S21-34. PMC: 3456618. DOI: 10.1093/jurban/79.suppl_1.s21. View

Dick B, Ferguson J, Chandra-Mouli V, Brabin L, Chatterjee S, Ross D . Review of the evidence for interventions to increase young people's use of health services in developing countries. World Health Organ Tech Rep Ser. 2006; 938:151-204. View

Beeker C, Raj A . Community empowerment paradigm drift and the primary prevention of HIV/AIDS. Soc Sci Med. 1998; 46(7):831-42. DOI: 10.1016/s0277-9536(97)00208-6. View

Antunes J, Waldman E, Borrell C . Is it possible to reduce AIDS deaths without reinforcing socioeconomic inequalities in health?. Int J Epidemiol. 2005; 34(3):586-92. DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyi022. View

10.

Rose R . How much does social capital add to individual health? A survey study of Russians. Soc Sci Med. 2000; 51(9):1421-35. DOI: 10.1016/s0277-9536(00)00106-4. View

11.

Pronyk P, Harpham T, Morison L, Hargreaves J, Kim J, Phetla G . Is social capital associated with HIV risk in rural South Africa?. Soc Sci Med. 2008; 66(9):1999-2010. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.01.023. View

12.

Lugalla J, Emmelin M, Mutembei A, Sima M, Kwesigabo G, Killewo J . Social, cultural and sexual behavioral determinants of observed decline in HIV infection trends: lessons from the Kagera Region, Tanzania. Soc Sci Med. 2004; 59(1):185-98. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2003.10.033. View

13.

Ross D, Changalucha J, Obasi A, Todd J, Plummer M, Cleophas-Mazige B . Biological and behavioural impact of an adolescent sexual health intervention in Tanzania: a community-randomized trial. AIDS. 2007; 21(14):1943-55. DOI: 10.1097/QAD.0b013e3282ed3cf5. View

14.

Holtgrave D, Crosby R . Social capital, poverty, and income inequality as predictors of gonorrhoea, syphilis, chlamydia and AIDS case rates in the United States. Sex Transm Infect. 2003; 79(1):62-4. PMC: 1744600. DOI: 10.1136/sti.79.1.62. View

15.

Oman R, Vesely S, Aspy C . Youth assets and sexual risk behavior: the importance of assets for youth residing in one-parent households. Perspect Sex Reprod Health. 2005; 37(1):25-31. DOI: 10.1363/psrh.37.25.05. View

16.

Camlin C, Snow R . Parental investment, club membership, and youth sexual risk behavior in Cape Town. Health Educ Behav. 2008; 35(4):522-40. PMC: 2882035. DOI: 10.1177/1090198107313471. View

17.

Jewkes R, Nduna M, Levin J, Jama N, Dunkle K, Khuzwayo N . A cluster randomized-controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of Stepping Stones in preventing HIV infections and promoting safer sexual behaviour amongst youth in the rural Eastern Cape, South Africa: trial design, methods and baseline.... Trop Med Int Health. 2006; 11(1):3-16. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3156.2005.01530.x. View

18.

Kawachi I, Kennedy B . Income inequality and health: pathways and mechanisms. Health Serv Res. 1999; 34(1 Pt 2):215-27. PMC: 1088996. View

19.

Eriksson M . Social capital and health--implications for health promotion. Glob Health Action. 2011; 4:5611. PMC: 3036711. DOI: 10.3402/gha.v4i0.5611. View

20.

Frumence G, Eriksson M, Nystrom L, Killewo J, Emmelin M . Exploring the role of cognitive and structural forms of social capital in HIV/AIDS trends in the Kagera region of Tanzania - a grounded theory study. Afr J AIDS Res. 2015; 10(1):1-13. DOI: 10.2989/16085906.2011.575543. View