Gendered relationship between HIV stigma and HIV testing among men and women in Mozambique: a cross-sectional study to inform a stigma reduction and male-targeted HIV testing intervention

ObjectivesIncreasing and sustaining engagement in HIV care for people living with HIV are critical to both individual therapeutic benefit and epidemic control. Men are less likely to test for HIV compared with women in sub-Saharan African countries, and ultimately have delayed entry to HIV care. Stigma is known to impede such engagement, placing an importance on understanding and addressing stigma to improve HIV testing and care outcomes. This study aimed to assess the gendered differences in the relationship between stigma and HIV testing.Design and settingA cross-sectional, household probability survey was implemented between November and December 2016 in the Sofala province of Mozambique.ParticipantsData were restricted to men and women participants who reported no prior diagnosis of HIV infection (N=2731).MeasuresMeasures of sociodemographic characteristics, stigma and past exposure to HIV interventions were included in gender-stratified logistic regression models to estimate the relationship between stigma and recent testing for HIV, as well as to identify other relevant correlates.ResultsSignificantly fewer men (38.3%) than women (47.6%; p