Determinants of Overall HIV/AIDS Knowledge Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women Aged 15–24 Years in Malawi

Abstract Background HIV epidemic remains a major public health issue in Malawi especially among adolescent girls and young women. Having accurate knowledge about HIV/AIDS is a key component of preventing the spread of HIV among adolescent girls and young women. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the determinants of overall HIV/AIDS knowledge among adolescent girls and young women in Malawi. Methods The study was based on cross-sectional data from the 2015-2016 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey. It involved 10132 adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 years who reported to have ever heard of HIV/AIDS. The outcome variable was overall HIV/AIDS knowledge. Data were analysed by using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation and multivariable logistic regression models. All the analyses were performed using complex sample analysis procedure of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 22) to account for complex survey design. Results Of the total 10132 participants included in the study, 82.2% (n=8326) had high overall knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Around 25% of the participants did not know that using condoms consistently can reduce the risk of HIV and 23% of the participants believed that mosquitoes could transmit HIV. Several factors were significantly associated with women’s overall HIV/AIDS knowledge. Women who were aged 20–24 years (AOR=1.16; 95% CI=1.04–1.29), women from rich households (AOR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.08–1.39),women who were working (AOR=1.29; 95% CI=1.16–1.44),women who were listening to radio at least once a week (AOR = 1.19; 95% CI = 1.05–1.35) and women who had secondary or higher education (AOR = 3.43; 95% CI = 2.67–4.42) were more likely to have high overall knowledge about HIV/AIDS compared to their counterparts. Conclusions The findings of this study suggest that some adolescent girls and young women in Malawi are lacking comprehensive HIV/AIDS knowledge. Lack of knowledge about HIV transmission and prevention methods among young women might pose a challenge to efforts to stop the spread of the HIV epidemic. To reduce the incidence of HIV, it is essential to design effective interventions that can increase HIV/AIDS knowledge among adolescent girls and young women in Malawi.