Estimates of global HIV/AIDS mortality, prevalence and incidence rates, and their association with the Human Development Index

Abstract

Background: HIV/AIDS is one of greatest global public health concerns today due to the high incidence, prevalence and mortality rates. The aim of this research was investigate and estimate the global HIV/AIDS mortality, prevalence and incidence rates, and explore their associations with the Human Development Index. Methods: The global age-standardized rates of mortality, prevalence and incidence of HIV/AIDS were obtained from the UNAIDS for different countries in 2015. The human development indexes (HDIs) were obtained from the World Bank database. The surveyed countries were divided into four groups according to the HDI distribution. The Spearman correlation coefficient and one-way ANOVA test were used for assessing the association of HIV/ AIDS indicators and HDI. Results: The highest rates of HIV/AIDS prevalence and incidence, and associated mortality in East and Southern Africa countries were 51.73%, 46.33% and 42.3%, respectively. Moreover, the highest and lowest global age-standardized rates of incidence and prevalence of HIV/AIDS was seen in adults ranging from 15-49 years of age for both low and high HDI countries. The prevalence and incidence rates of HIV/AIDS each had an inverse correlation with HDI and its four indicators (life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, expected years of schooling, and GNI per capita). Conclusion: Less developed countries with lower HDI show greater severity of the AIDS epidemic. Thus, it is essential to pay more attention to HIV/AIDS control and prevention programs in these countries.