Increasing Awareness of HIV/AIDS Among Women in Central Asia: How Much and for Whom?

Extensive efforts to improve reproductive health generally, and to increase awareness of HIV and AIDS specifically, have taken place across Central Asia over the past two decades. Such programs have coincided with significant increases in HIV/AIDS awareness. However, among women comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge remains modest across the region, and misconceptions concerning HIV transmission remain. Differentials by age, education, and rural/urban residence in awareness and knowledge regarding HIV and AIDs persist among women in the countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Using Demographic and Health Surveys and Multi-Cluster Indicator Surveys from 1999 through 2011 and reports, records, and interviews from health programs in the region, I examine increases in HIV and AIDS knowledge, tracing patterns of improvement across demographic, social and cultural sub groups within each country. Findings indicate a concerning trend in poor knowledge relating to needle transmission (the major transmission route for HIV in the region) and a persistent gulf in reported knowledge (at all levels) by marital status, age, education and urban residence. These results raise questions concerning the relevance of programmatic content (emphasizing ABCs and sexual transmission) in the region and program access and reception.