Combining cross-sectional survey data with geographic activity space to examine the relationship between place and youth HIV risk behavior in Kenya

Abstract

Adolescents (15-24) comprise 37% of the nearly 1 million new HIV infections in southern and eastern Africa each year (UNAIDS, 2016a), representing a particularly vulnerable and important at-risk population. Despite increasing recognition that HIV risk is driven by social and physical characteristics of an individual’s community, assessment of socio-ecological HIV risk factors has remained a challenge. This investigation proposes a novel method of evaluating environmental risks through the use of GIS generated “activity spaces,” and community identification of risk-areas. Through combining metrics of ecological risk with cross-sectional survey data on psychosocial correlates of HIV, this investigation reveals how participatory techniques can be use to identify ecological drivers of HIV risk.