HIV/AIDS KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE AMONG WOMEN IN THE LEAST AND MOST HIV/AIDS AFFECTED REGIONS OF MAINLAND TANZANIA

Among women in mainland Tanzania, Iringa region in the southern highlands has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate while Arusha region in the north-east has the lowest prevalence rate. In a 2007/8 survey, Iringa's HIV rate for women was 18.6% versus 0.8% in Arusha. Using data from a survey of women aged 15-49 years conducted in 2009 by the Champion project of EngenderHealth, a comparison was made of HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitude and practice between women in Iringa and Arusha regions. It was found that women in Arusha region had more knowledge of HIV/AIDS than women in Iringa region, and that more than three-quarters of the women in each region were married and 12% of the women in Arusha region had never been married compared with 8% of the women in Iringa region. The majority of women in each region had at least primary school education and there was no significant difference between their educational levels. Women in Arusha region were economically less active than women in Iringa region, a statistically significant association. More women in Arusha region than in Iringa region had never had children (24% versus 12%). Similarly, women in Arusha region had significantly fewer children compared with women in Iringa.