AUTHOR=Sambou Muhammed Lamin , Dai Juncheng , Zhao Xiaoyu , Hong Tongtong , Basnet Til Bahadur , Marley Gifty , Sambou Alima , Fadoua El Hafa , Naveed Muhammad 

TITLE=Determinants of Voluntary Counseling and Testing Service Uptake Among Adult Sub-Saharan Africans: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

JOURNAL=Public Health Reviews

VOLUME=43

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/public-health-reviews/articles/10.3389/phrs.2022.1604065

DOI=10.3389/phrs.2022.1604065

ISSN=2107-6952

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objective:</bold> To examine the major determinants of VCT service uptake among adults in SSA.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Electronic databases were searched to identify eligible English language publications. Reporting of the study selection procedure was done according to PRISMA and the selected articles were also critically appraised.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> We found 8 significant determinants of VCT uptake among adults in SSA, such as less physical access [OR (Odds ratio): 0.77 (95% CI (Confidence interval): 0.62–0.96), <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01], older age [OR: 1.36 (95% CI: 1.08–1.73), <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01], higher education level [OR: 1.60 (95% CI: 1.24–2.05), <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01], high knowledge of HIV and VCT awareness [OR: 1.40 (95% CI: 1.03–1.90), <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01], unprotected sexual practices [OR: 1.75 (95% CI: 1.18–2.58), <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01], discussion on HIV among partners and others [OR: 1.76 (95% CI: 1.10–2.81), <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01], other STIs [OR: 1.40 (95% CI: 1.00–1.98), <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01], and divorced/separated [OR: 1.39 (95% CI: 1.12–1.72), <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.01].</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> This study showed that 8 determinants were significantly associated with VCT service uptake in SSA. Thus, HIV interventions and policy initiatives should be tailored to these determinants to ensure scale-up of VCT service uptake in SSA.</p>