Multilevel Measures of Education and Pathways to Incident Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 in Adolescent Girls and Young Women in South Africa

RIS ID

138669

Publication Details

Stoner, M. C. D., Neilands, T. B., Kahn, K., Hughes, J. P., Gomez-Olive, F. Xavier., Twine, R., Tollman, S., Laeyendecker, O., MacPhail, C., Ahern, J., Lippman, S. A. & Pettifor, A. (2019). Multilevel Measures of Education and Pathways to Incident Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 in Adolescent Girls and Young Women in South Africa. Journal of Adolescent Health, Online First 1-7.

Abstract

Purpose: Schooling is associated with a lower risk of Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) in adolescent girls and young women, but there is little understanding of the pathways underlying this relationship.

Methods: We used data from adolescent girls and young women in South Africa enrolled in the HIV Prevention Trials Network 068 study. We tested a structural equation model where individual household and community education measures were associated directly and indirectly with incident HSV-2 through HIV knowledge, future aspirations, age-disparate partnerships, sex in the last 12 months, and condomless sex.

Results:Community, household, and individual measures of schooling were all associated with incident HSV-2 infection through mediated pathways that increased the likelihood of having sex. Low school attendance (

Conclusions: Community and individual schooling interventions may reduce the risk of HSV-2 infection by influencing the likelihood of having sex, partner age, and future aspirations.

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Link to publisher version (DOI)

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.06.008