Although the relationship is not uniform across countries or over time, these data are supportive of the hypothesis that young women in school are at lower risk of being HIV positive than those who leave school in some sub-Saharan African settings. There is a possibility of reverse causality, with pre-existing HIV infection leading to school dropout. Further investigation of the contextual factors behind this variation will be important in interpreting the results of HIV prevention interventions promoting retention in school.
Authors: Mee, P., Fearon, E., Hassan, S., Hensen, B., Acharya, X., Rice, B.D., Hargreaves, J.R.
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