Abstract:

Background: Street children is a worldwide problem. While on the street HIV children among street children continue to be a very big challenging issue due to the nature of transmission, distribution and prevention which remain a major public health problem. Lack of proper care and protection, unsatisfactory knowledge on the danger of acquiring HIV, Insufficient or absence of health facilities serving street children and inadequate consciousness programs directed to street children population leads to these vulnerable group engage in high risk behaviors which expose them to acquiring HIV.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of HIV infection, and its associated risk factors among street children aged between 10 and 17 years in Mwanza City.

Methodology: The study was Cross sectional using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative part involved 131 participants aged 10-17 years who were found in four different gatherings for food, training and swimming. The qualitative part involved three focus group discussions with 8-10 children, two for boys and one for girls aged 11-13 and 14-17 respectively. HIV testing was done to determine prevalence. Exact logistic regression were used to determine factors associated with having HIV.

Results: A Total of 131 participants 111(85.0%) boys and 20(15.0%) girls responded to questionnaire, majority were 10-17 years old with median age being 15 years. The overall HIV prevalence was 12.2% (16/131). Those who were using condoms were less likely to be affected by HIV compared to those who were not using (OR=0.24; 95% CI 0.04 – 0.97) There is a significant association between gender and HIV infection, with female having higher odds in HIV infection compared to males (OR=5.24; 95% CI of 1.24 – 24.65).

Conclusion: The results show that the overall HIV prevalence was 12.2% and the use of condoms among street children during sexual intercourse has a significant effect on reducing the prevalence of HIV. Those who do not use condoms were found to be more likely to be affected by HIV compared to those who practice protected sex. There is a strong evidence that having a rent house (Getto) contribute much in HIV prevalence in street children for some of the girls and boys in groups.