@article{ref1,
title="HIV testing and tolerance to gender based violence: A cross-sectional study in Zambia",
journal="PLoS one",
year="2013",
author="Gari, Sara and Malungo, Jacob R. S. and Martin-Hilber, Adriane and Musheke, Maurice and Schindler, Christian and Merten, Sonja",
volume="8",
number="8",
pages="e71922-e71922",
abstract="This paper explores the effect of social relations and gender-based conflicts on the uptake of HIV testing in the South and Central provinces of Zambia. We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study of 1716 randomly selected individuals. Associations were examined using mixed-effect multivariable logistic regression. A total of 264 men (64%) and 268 women (56%) had never tested for HIV. The strongest determinants for not being tested were disruptive couple relationships (OR = 2.48 95% CI = 1.00-6.19); tolerance to gender-based violence (OR = 2.10 95% CI = 1.05-4.32) and fear of social rejection (OR = 1.48 95% CI = 1.23-1.80). In the Zambian context, unequal power relationships within the couple and the community seem to play a pivotal role in the decision to test which until now have been largely underestimated. Policies, programs and interventions to rapidly increase HIV testing need to urgently address gender-power inequity in relationships and prevent gender-based violence to reduce the negative impact on the lives of couples and families.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1932-6203",
doi="10.1371/journal.pone.0071922",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071922"
}