Abstract
To compare women with men presenting with HIV to a public health HIV clinic, to identify the special characteristics and health care needs of women living with HIV in the Barwon South West region in Victoria.
A retrospective cohort study of 35 women and 135 men living with HIV who attended the clinic between 2009 and 2020. Gender differences were assessed using nonparametric analyses.
< 0.001).
In this study of 170 people living with HIV, nearly one-half of the men with known HIV history were diagnosed through sexual health screens, but women's HIV was mostly detected through targeted screening. Results highlight gender disparity in access to sexual health screening and assessment, including low awareness of sexual health risks for women, and endorse the view that HIV is a heterosexual sexually transmittable infection in women.