Intimate partner violence and HIV risk in Kenya.

HIV is a prevalent health problem in Kenya as an estimated 6.1% of the adult population is currently HIV positive. Intimate partner violence has been associated with increased HIV risk in both women and in men in other settings. Using nationally-representative data from 2003 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey that includes information on both HIV serostatus and intimate partner violence to explore whether there is a correlation between physical sexual or emotional violence and HIV in currently married Kenyan men and women. Although I find that men whose wives report emotional abuse are more likely to be HIV positive this association is otherwise not significant. Rather among women HIV infection is significantly associated with being in a polygamous marriage as well as the number of years of exposure to premarital sexual activity. Among men being in a polygamous marriage is associated with a higher rate of HIV while being circumcised is associated with a lower probability of infection. In both genders being of Luo ethnicity is also often positively associated with HIV infection. (authors)