Age differences between sexual partners, behavioural and demographic correlates, and HIV infection on Likoma Island, Malawi.

ABSTRACT: Patterns of age differences between sexual partners - "age-mixing" - may partially explain the magnitude of HIV epidemics in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, evidence of age-disparity as a risk factor for HIV remains mixed. We used data from a socio-centric study of sexual behaviour in Malawi to quantify the age-mixing pattern and to find associations between relationship characteristics and age differences for 1,922 participants. Three age difference measures were explored as predictors of prevalent HIV infection. We found that for each year increase in male participant age, the average age difference with their partners increased by 0.26 years, while among women it remained approximately constant around 5 years. Women in the study had larger within-individual variation in partner ages compar

SUBMITTER: Beauclair R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5090960 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature