Abstract
HIV/AIDS continues to persist as a major global public health issue in Africa. Within the younger adult population, adolescent girls and younger women aged 15 to 29 years have been identified as having a heightened risk of contracting HIV. Risky sexual behaviors are important drivers behind the HIV prevalence gender gap among younger adults in sub-Saharan Africa.
Risky sexual behavior contributed to increased prevalence of HIV in the study countries. Policies aiming to encourage younger women to form relationships with men among their cohort would be most impactful in Malawi, where currently many younger women have partners who are more than five years their senior compared to younger men. Other policies can attempt to reduce non-monogamous relationships among younger adults, wherein multiple partners are a key driver of the HIV gender gap.
