Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfPro8): Abstract 96 | Published:  12 Oct 2026

Association between discriminatory attitude towards people living with HIV/AIDS and HIV testing behaviour among women of reproductive age in the Gambia

Kelvin Thomas1,2,&, Manjally Ndow2, Kabiru Abubakar2, Amie Conteh1,2, Lamin Makalo1,2, Zelalem Haile3

1Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital, Banjul, Gambia, 2University of the Gambia, Banjul, Gambia, 3Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Banjul, Gambia

&Corresponding author: Kelvin Thomas, Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital University of the Gambia, Email: tkelvindr@gmail.com

Received: 11 Mar 2026, Accepted: 30 Aug 2026, Published: 12 Oct 2026

Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology

This is part of the Proceedings of the 7th African Epidemiological Association and 1st Ghana Epidemiological Society Conference, 13 – 15 October, 2026

Keywords: Discriminatory attitude, HIV testing, women of reproductive age, Gambia

©Kelvin Thomas et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Cite this article: Kelvin Thomas et al., Association between discriminatory attitude towards people living with HIV/AIDS and HIV testing behaviour among women of reproductive age in the Gambia: Analysis of the 2019–20 Gambia Demographic Health Survey. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfPro8):96. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO8-0096 

Introduction

HIV remains a major public health concern globally, with women of reproductive age being particularly vulnerable. Despite the importance of early diagnosis, HIV testing uptake remains suboptimal in this population.

Methods

The Gambia Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS), 2019-20 women data was used to obtain HIV testing. Analysis employed weighted descriptive, bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted, adjusting for potential confounders.

Results

The findings showed that 58.8% of women had been tested for HIV, while 78.7% expressed discriminatory attitudes toward PLHIV. Women with discriminatory attitudes (aOR=0.53, 95% CI: 0.44-0.64) have lower odds of HIV testing compared with those without such attitudes. Other factors associated with lower odds of HIV testing included having no formal education (aOR=0.61, 95% CI: 0.52-0.71), being single (aOR=0.39, 95% CI: 0.23-0.66), limited comprehensive HIV knowledge (aOR=0.63, 95% CI: 0.53-0.75) and lower media exposure (aOR=0.74, 95% CI: 0.59 -0.93). Conversely, women aged 20–24 years (aOR=1.17 (1.02-1.34) have higher odds of HIV testing uptake than older women.

Conclusion

Discrimination against PLHIV, age, education, marital status, comprehensive knowledge on HIV and media exposure were significant predictors for HIV testing. Interventions aimed at reducing HIV-related stigma, improving HIV knowledge, enhancing educational opportunities, and increasing access to health information through media may help improve HIV testing uptake.

 
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Keywords

  • Discriminatory attitude
  • HIV testing
  • Women of reproductive age
  • Gambia
Views: 59