HIV detection and its influencing factors among spouses of newly registered HIV/AIDS patients in Fujian province, 2015 – 2018

  Objective  To examine the status and influencing factors of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing among spouses of newly registered HIV/AIDS patients in Fujian province.

  Methods  We conducted face-to-face interviews during 2015 – 2018 among married HIV/AIDS patients newly diagnosed from January 1st to November 30th in a year. Information on demographics and HIV/AIDS of the patients and their spouses were collected using a questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were adopted in analyses on status and impact factors of HIV detection among the patients′ spouses.

  Results  For the 2 937 newly registered HIV/AIDS patients surveyed totally, 2 641 (89.9%) reported HIV detections of their spouses in the year of themselves′ diagnosis. Among all the spouses being detected, 541 (20.5%) were HIV positive and there was a significant difference in yearly HIV detection rate among the spouses (χ² = 19.396, P < 0.001) but the annual HIV positive rates for the spouses detected were not significantly different (χ² = 1.770, P = 0.621). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the patients without local residence of Fujian province were less likely with a spouse having HIV detection in the year of the patients being diagnosed (odds ratio OR = 1.435, 95% confidence interval 95% CI: 1.050 – 1.960); while, the patients having a CD₄⁺ T cell detection (OR = 0.102, 95% CI: 0.072 – 0.144) and receiving treatment in the year of diagnosis (OR = 0.488, 95% CI: 0.361 – 0.662) were more likely with a spouse having HIV detection in the year of the patients being diagnosed. The patients of female gender (OR = 3.903, 95% CI: 3.095 – 4.922), aged ≥ 60 years (OR = 2.349, 95% CI: 1.493 – 3.693), diagnosed with AIDS (OR = 1.750, 95% CI: 1.415 – 2.164), and being a member of high-risk population (OR = 1.945, 95% CI: 1.093 – 3.462) were more likely with HIV positive spouses detected in the same year of the patients′ diagnosis; however, the patients with high education (OR = 0.418, 95% CI: 0.300 – 0.582) and being infected through heterosexual contact (OR = 0.348, 95% CI: 0.139 – 0.868) were less likely with HIV positive spouses detected in the same year of the patients′ diagnosis.

  Conclusion  In Fujian province, the newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS patients with various characteristics reported different HIV positive rate among their spouses within the same year of diagnosis, suggesting that targeted measures should be developed for early HIV detection among the spouses of the newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS patients. The results of the study also indicate that HIV detection among the spouses of newly registered migrant HIV/AIDS patients needs to be promoted.