Life expectancy of people living with HIV|AIDS and associated socioeconomic factors in Kenya

Abstract

There is a strong correlation between the life expectancy of the people living with HIV|AIDS and socioeconomic factors such as poverty, female literacy rate, government spending on health care, external grants, geographical location and HIV prevalence rate. The findings of this study indicate that poverty at household and|or regional levels reduces life expectancy of the people living with HIV|AIDS. HIV-infected urban residents have a longer life span than their rural counterparts. Greater resource endowment improves the chances of extending the lives of the infected people. As expected, an increase in female literacy rate initially reduces HIV|AIDS-related deaths. This could be a result of better skills and knowledge acquired by women who care for the sick. However, as female literacy rate increases, the mortality rate also increases as education changes the role of women in the society from homecare providers to labour force participants. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.