Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Knowledge and Stigma: Findings from a Cross-sectional Survey

People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) encounter HIV stigma that hinders HIV testing and subsequently linkage to care. This study evaluates the relationship between HIV stigma and awareness of HIV testing, drugs to prevent mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, and HIV knowledge score among Filipino women.

We utilized data of women aged 15-49 (n = 25,284) who heard about HIV from the Philippines' 2022 Demographic and Health Survey. The dependent variable was HIV stigma. The covariates were sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., age, urban/rural, education level, wealth quintile, current employment status, and marital status), knowledge regarding HIV test kits, drugs to prevent MTCT, and ARV drugs. We calculated descriptive statistics, Pearson's Chi-square test of independence, and multivariable binary logistic regression, fitting covariates. Subgroup analysis was performed to understand the relationship between HIV stigma and HIV knowledge score among individuals aged 15-24 years. All analyses were performed using Stata 18.5.

Approximately 65.7% of women reported HIV stigma. The logistic regression results indicated lower odds of HIV stigma among women who know test kits but never tested for HIV with test kits (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.87), those who heard about drugs to prevent MTCT (aOR = 0.75), and those who heard about ARV drugs (aOR = 0.85) compared to their counterparts. Higher odds of HIV stigma were observed among women currently in union (aOR = 1.46) and rural residents (aOR = 1.54) compared to their counterparts. Among women aged 15-24, having a higher HIV knowledge score, especially among those who scored 5, had lower odds of having HIV stigma (aOR = 0.04) than those who achieved a zero knowledge score. All p-values ≤ 0.05.

Findings suggest an urgent need to address stigma among women, especially those who lack knowledge of HIV test kits and ARV drugs. Further research should explore strategies to reduce HIV stigma, especially among young married rural women.