SOCIOECONOMIC-STATUS, GENDER, AND RISK OF HIV-1 INFECTION IN A RURAL-COMMUNITY IN SOUTH-WEST UGANDA

This report explores the hypothesis that the presence of HIV infection in rural south west Uganda is associated with socioeconomic status an d gender. As part of an ethnographic, medical, and serological survey in 15 villages in Masaka district, population 9,950 persons, data were collected on a series of possible socioeconomic indicators. Serologic al specimens were collected from all consenting individuals for the de termination of HIV serostatus. In five selected study villages, there was a good correlation between wealth rankings made by selected local residents and four socioeconomic indices, namely, type of dwelling, av ailable land size, ownership of cattle, and an index of household item s. These indices were applied to the full data set to rank the househo lds in all villages. The resulting ranking was matched against HIV-1 s tatus of household heads and, subsequently, their first-degree relativ es. Analyzing the data from the 15 villages combined, there was eviden ce from all four indicators that both male and female heads of the poo rest households were most likely to be HIV positive. The increased ris k of HIV infection of the poor may be due in part to the income-genera ting strategies they adopt to survive.