Validity of self-reports of HIV and sexually transmitted infections in rural Malawi

Simona Bignami, Université de Montréal
Li-Wei Chao, University of Pennsylvania

This paper examines the validity of self-reported human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among the general population in rural Malawi. The data for this study come from the 2004 Malawi Diffusion and Ideational Change Project, a panel household survey that collected both behavioral and biomarker data for a sample of approximately 3000 respondents. To investigate the validity of self-reported HIV infection, the respondents’ self-assessed likelihood of having the infection at the time of the survey is compared with their actual HIV status determined by antibody test. The relationship between the validity of self-reports and variables such as the respondents’ background characteristics and their perceptions of their own community’s HIV prevalence is also examined.