HIV testing uptake among individuals and couples at the community level: the case of Kilifi district, Kenya

Jacqueline K Papo, Oxford University Department of Public Health and Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)
Eduard J Sanders, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)
Maurice Obuya, District Public Health Office
Evasius K Bauni, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)
Harold Jaffe, Oxford University

In Kenya, HIV prevalence is 7.8%, 10-14% of couples are sero-discordant, and 36% of the population have been tested. Using Kilifi district as a case study, the level of testing among individuals and couples, and the reach of various approaches aimed at promoting HIV testing were investigated. A questionnaire was administered to a random sample of the population (n=630) in an urban and a rural site within the district’s Demographic Surveillance Area. 32% of the population had been tested, with significant differences across socio-demographic factors. Results highlighted the key role played by routine opt-out testing offered by the local district hospital, especially among women attending ante-natal care and receiving PMTCT. With respect to couple-testing, 25% of couples had both been tested, and 3% did so together. Acceptability of home HIV testing was high (72%) and queries at the community level highlighted misconceptions on sero-discordance.