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

Citation

Stoner, Marie C. D.; Neilands, Torsten B.; Kahn, Kathleen; Hughes, James P.; Gomez-Olive, F. Xavier; Twine, Rhian; Tollman, Stephen M.; Laeyendecker, Oliver B.; MacPhail, Catherine Lorne; & Ahern, Jennifer, et al. (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, 65(6), 723-729. PMCID: PMC6874764

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 (<80% of school days) increased the likelihood of having sex through increased age-disparate partnerships and reduced future aspirations. Fewer community years of education increased the likelihood of having sex through increased age-disparate partnerships. Parental education level was indirectly associated with HSV-2 overall, although we could not identify the individual pathways that were responsible for this association.
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.

URL

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

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2019

Journal Title

Journal of Adolescent Health

Author(s)

Stoner, Marie C. D.
Neilands, Torsten B.
Kahn, Kathleen
Hughes, James P.
Gomez-Olive, F. Xavier
Twine, Rhian
Tollman, Stephen M.
Laeyendecker, Oliver B.
MacPhail, Catherine Lorne
Ahern, Jennifer
Lippman, Sheri A.
Pettifor, Audrey E.

PMCID

PMC6874764

ORCiD

Pettifor - 0000-0002-3387-0817
Stoner - 0000-0002-7189-8669