The Influence of Women's Involvement in Decision Making on HIV Testing in Tanzania

The study on the role of women's involvement in decision making and HIV testing in Tanzania was conducted using data from the 2010 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey. The study analyzed the influence of women's involvement in decision making on HIV testing. Specifically, an indicator of women's in decision making was linked to women's socioeconomic characteristics and HIV testing. The study involved 6, 406 women age 15–49 and currently married and living together. Descriptive analysis was used to determine the women's socioeconomic characteristics. Bivariate and multivariate (logistic regression) analyses were used to determine the association between socio-economic characteristics and the role of women's decision making in influencing HIV testing. Out of the 6, 406 women, 4, 246 had been tested for HIV. The odds of being tested were higher (30%) women who participated in household decision-making. Both for women without recent birth and for women who gave birth in the past five years and who used ANC services, decision making was associated with higher likelihood of HIV testing. Women with secondary education who did not give birth for the last five years were more than 400% likelihood to test for HIV. Moreover, rich and rural were significant at p<0.001 in all three models. The study also concludes that HIV testing is still a challenge in Tanzania, as 34% of married women age 15–49 had never tested for HIV. Interventions should target rural women through improving the agriculture sector. Integrate HIV testing in women's groups by making it a continuous agenda in their social and economic development activities. The government and other development agents should find the mechanism of empowering women to enable them to go for HIV testing voluntarily. Analysis should be done on women's economic empowerment, and the likelihood to influence HIV testing and collection of HIV test results.