A new study has revealed that women who drink alcohol are the worst hit by HIV.
According to a study conducted by Uro-Care Africa Medical and Behavior Sciences Organization (AMBSO), a locally registered not-for-profit health research and service-based organization, findings show that HIV prevalence among women who drink alcohol is higher than among men who do the same.
The study was conducted in central and mid-western Uganda.
The research revealed that women who reported alcohol use had two times higher prevalence rate than the rate in men who reported to have consumed alcohol (13% against 7%).
Data from WHO commissioned 2014 nationwide non-communicable risk factor survey (STEPS) showed that 25.9% of men and 14.3% of women in Uganda were heavy alcohol users.
Robert Bulamba Malyabe, a scientist working with AMBSO presented research findings at Hotel Africana in Kampala recently noting the majority of this category of women are unmarried.
The research also found out that women who had unprotected sex had a higher prevalence (8%) compared to their male counterparts (6%).
There was also a higher prevalence of HIV (14%) among women who experienced intimate partner violence, compared to men who experienced the same.
On the overall, Malyabe noted that unmarried women are two times more likely to be HIV positive compared to unmarried men. The prevalence of HIV among unmarried women stood at 19% while unmarried men were only 13%.
In Uganda, data shows that women are the most affected by HIV. The prevalence of HIV in this gender is 6.8%, which is higher than the national rate of 5.4%. Prevalence among men is 3.9%.
