A comparison of two population-based household surveys in Uganda for assessment of violence against youth

Violence is associated with health-risk behaviors, potentially contributing to gender-related HIV incidence disparities in sub-Saharan Africa. Previous research has demonstrated that violence, gender, and HIV are linked via complex mechanisms that may be direct, such as through forced sex, or indirect, such as an inability to negotiate safe sex. Accurately estimating violence prevalence and its association with HIV is critical in monitoring programmatic efforts to reduce both violence and HIV. We compared prevalence estimates of violence in youth aged 15–24 years from two Ugandan population-based cross-sectional household surveys (Uganda Violence Against Children Survey 2015 [VACS] and Uganda Population-based HIV Impact Assessment 2016–2017 [UPHIA]), stratified by gender. UPHIA violence estimates were consistently lower than VACS estimates, including lifetime physical violence, recent intimate partner physical violence, and lifetime sexual violence, likely reflecting underestimation of violence in UPHIA. Multiple factors likely contributed to these differences, including the survey objectives, interviewer training, and questionnaire structure. VACS may be better suited to estimate distal determinants of HIV acquisition for youth (including experience of violence) than UPHIA, which is crucial for monitoring progress toward HIV epidemic control.