Determining HIV Risk for Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) in Relationships with “Blessers” and Age Disparate Partners: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Four Districts in South Africa

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Abstract BackgroundHIV incidence among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) remains high, with their male partners a prominent factor in sustaining these elevated rates. Partnership characteristics remain important metrics for determining HIV risk, with evidence indicating that AGYW engaged in transactional and age-disparate relationships facing greater HIV exposure. This study examines the risk posed to AGYW in a relationship with a “Blesser” only, defined as male who provides his female partner with their material needs or desires in exchange for a sexual relationship and age-disparate (5 or more years older).MethodsA cross -sectional household based representative sample of AGYW (aged between 12–24 years) were enrolled in the study (n=18 926) from the districts of City of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni in the Gauteng province and the Districts of eThekwini and uMgungundlovu in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in South Africa between March 13, 2017 to June 22, 2018. Participants completed a structured questionnaire and provided finger-prick blood samples for laboratory measurements. Our analysis used descriptive statistics and multiple binary logistic regressions accounting for survey weights, clustering and stratification. FindingsWhilst all relationships exposed AGYW to potential HIV risk, multiple binary logistic regression analysis revealed that AGYW in a relationship with a Blesser and an age disparate partner were more likely to be HIV positive (AOR: 3.12, 95% CI: 1.76-5.53, p <0.001), diagnosed with an STI (AOR: 4.60, 95% CI: 2.99-7.08, p <0.001), had 2 or more sexual partners in the previous 12 (AOR: 6.37, 95% CI: 3.85-10.54, p <0.001), engaged in sexual activity at age 15 or younger (AOR: 3.67, 95% CI: 2.36-5.69, p <0.001) and more likely to have ever been pregnant (AOR: 2.60, 95% CI: 1.24-5.45, p <0.05) than those not in a relationship with a Blesser and age-disparate partner. ConclusionDifferent relationships present different HIV to AGYW. AGYW who had engaged in relationships with both a Blesser and an age-disparate partner were at greater HIV risk when examined against these relationships independent of one another. The data reveals the compounded HIV risk of being in both a transactional and age-disparate relationship.

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