KNOWLEDGE, PERCEPTIONS AND RISK OF CONTRACTING HIV FROM SPOUSES AMONG MARRIED WOMEN IN OMI-ADIO COMMUNITY, IDO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OYO STATE

Abstract

Anecdotal evidence has shown that for many women around the world, the primary means of contracting HIV is marital sex. In Nigeria,the perceived vulnerability of married women to HIV infection through sex with their spouses has not been adequately studied. This study was therefore carried out in Omi-Adio, Oyo State, Nigeria to assess married women's knowledge, perception and risk of contracting HIV from spouses.

The study was a cross-sectional survey involving the use of a four-stage random sampling technique in selecting 390 married women aged 16-45 years from 143 workplaces and 55 households. Respondents were classified into three categories based on age: younger women (16-45), middle-aged women (26-35) and older women (36-45). The instrument for data collection was a semi-structured questionnaire which contained questions for the following information: socio-demographic characteristics; perceptions of HIV transmission and associated risk factors. The instrument included a 14 point knowledge scale on HIV transmission and its prevention. Respondents' scores of 1-5, 6-10 and 11-14 points were classified as poor, fair and good respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive, chi square and ANOVA with level of significance set at 0.05. The mean age of respondents was 30.2±12.9 years with middle-aged, older and younger women constituting 46.2%, 30.8% and 23.0% respectively. Respondents in monogamous unions were 67.2%, 71.0% were traders and 43.0% had primary education. Respondents' mean knowledge score was 7.3±2.9 with the scores for middle-aged women (7.5±1.9) and older women (7.4±2.9) being significantly higher than that of younger women (6.7±2,9). Mean knowledge score for those with tertiary education was significantly higher (8.8±2.9) compared with those with senior secondary (8.0±.2.9), junior secondary (6.9±4.9), primary education (6.7±2.6) and no formal education 6.7±2.3, most respondents (99.05%) had fair HIV-related knowledge. There was no significant association between knowledge of HIV and type of marriage. Respondents' perceived vulnerability to HIV infection from spouses was not significantly different by age, education and religion. Eighty-five percent of respondents perceived HIV to be serious. Unprotected sex was perceived by most (96.9%) to

be the major route of infection. Ninety-five percent of respondents believed that women could get HlV from their spouses and of these only 10.0% perceived themselves to be at risk of contracting it from their spouses. Although, a majority (80.0%) believed that HIV could be prevented, only 11.3% were of the view that married women could protect themselves from getting infected by their spouses. Fifty-five percent reported ever discussing sexual matters with their spouses. Measures listed by respondents for preventing infection from spouses included mutual faithfulness (82.0%), use of condom (8.5%), use of charms (6.7%), spousal communication (5.9%) and prayers (1.2%). The reported risk factors for HIV infection from spouses included infidelity of spouses (51.5%) and risky traditional practices such as polygyny (77.2%) and wife inheritance (2.3%). Respondents' knowledge about HIV transmission prevention and associated risk factors was fair but most of them did not perceive themselves to be vulnerable to infection from their spouses. Health education programmes to increase their knowledge and modify their perceptions relating to vulnerability are advocated.