Modeling Covariates of Self-Perceived and Epidemiologic Notions of Risk for Acquiring STIs/HIV among Military Personnel: A Comparative Analysis

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Osaro Mgbere, University of Houston; Emmanuel Monjok, University of Houston; Susan Abughosh, University of Houston; Ernest Ekong, Institute for Health Research and Development, Nigeria; Marcia Holstad, Emory University; E. James Essien, University of Houston
• Language: English
• Date: 2013-03-01
• Publisher: SpringerOpen
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10461-011-0126-5
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: AIDS and Behavior
• ISSN: 1090-7165
• Volume: 17
• Issue: 3
• Start Page: 1159
• End Page: 1175
• Grant/Funding Information: This research was supported by a grant from the United States National Institute of Mental Health (Grant number RO1 MH073361-02).
• Keywords: HIV; Self-perceived risk; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; KNOWING SOMEONE; Social Sciences, Biomedical; Nigeria; Military personnel; INTERVENTION; Biomedical Social Sciences; SOUTH-AFRICA; AIDS; HIV/AIDS; TRANSMISSION; Epidemiologic risk; Social Sciences; Sexual behavior; SEXUAL-BEHAVIOR; STIs/HIV; CONDOM-USE; PERCEPTION; Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine
• Research Categories: Biology, Virology; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

This study examined the socio-demographic and selected behavioral characteristics associated with self-perceived and epidemiologic notions of risk for acquiring STIs/HIV infection using data from a cross-sectional survey involving 346 consenting female military personnel from two cantonments in Southwestern Nigeria. Findings revealed significant discordance in participants' risk status based on the two assessment methods, with Kappa coefficients ranging from -0.021 to 0.115. Using epidemiologic assessment as the "gold standard", 45.4% of the study population were able to accurately assess their risk levels through self-perception with significant (P < 0.01) socio-demographic variations. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicate that STIs/HIV risk models using both self-perceived and epidemiologic notions of risk were significantly determined by different set of covariates. It is recommended that STIs/HIV prevention intervention should integrate the identified covariates and be targeted at changing individual risk behaviors and perceptions, as well as the social contexts in which risky behaviors occur in the military population.