Sociodemographic predictors of beliefs about getting HIV infection by witchcraft or supernatural means: a population-based study of 15335 Senegalese women

TL;DR

This study explores which factors influence Senegalese women's beliefs that HIV can be contracted through witchcraft or supernatural means.

Contribution

The study identifies sociodemographic predictors of supernatural HIV beliefs in a large population-based sample of Senegalese women.

Findings

Older age and higher education levels are linked to fewer supernatural HIV beliefs.

Rural residence is associated with stronger beliefs in witchcraft as a cause of HIV.

Wealth and media consumption patterns correlate with reduced supernatural beliefs about HIV.

Abstract

To provide more insights about beliefs of witchcraft and supernatural means as causes of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among women in Senegal.

We included eligible women from the demographic and health survey conducted in Senegal during the year 2017.

We included 15335 women, of those 620 (4%) thought that they can get HIV through witchcraft or supernatural means. After the adjustment of all available covariates, old age, receiving primary or secondary education, higher wealth index, more frequency of listening to radio, watching television for less than once a week and reading newspaper or magazine for at least once a week were significantly associated with a reduction in the witchcraft and supernatural means beliefs (p < 0.05). Moreover, rural residence was associated with an increase in the wrong HIV beliefs (p < 0.05).

We demonstrated many predictors of the wrong beliefs about getting HIV infection by witchcraft or supernatural means in the Senegalese women. Policymakers should initiate health educational programs in parallel with increasing the socioeconomic status to limit the HIV transmission. In addition, continuous monitoring of the HIV knowledge in the endemic countries is crucial to decrease HIV burden.