Determinants of comprehensive knowledge of mother-to-child transmission of HIV among currently married women in Somalia: analysis of the 2020 Somali Demographic and Health Survey

Abstract Background A significant proportion of HIV infections in infants results from vertical transmission, largely due to inadequate maternal knowledge of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) and its prevention. Although several global studies have assessed women’s MTCT knowledge, nationally representative evidence from Somalia remains limited. This study addresses this gap by examining factors associated with comprehensive knowledge of MTCT of HIV among currently married women aged 15–49 years in Somalia. Methods Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between comprehensive MTCT knowledge of HIV and sociodemographic factors using data from the 2018–2019 SDHS. Results Overall, 66.67% of currently married women had good knowledge of MTCT of HIV. Women residing in Cluster 7 (Gedo and Lower Juba) (AOR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.31–0.50) and Cluster 6 (Bay and Bakool) (AOR = 0.53, 95% CI 0.39–0.71), those who never listened to the radio (AOR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.57–0.88), and women in the richest wealth category (AOR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.59–0.87) were significantly less likely to have comprehensive MTCT knowledge. Conclusion Policy interventions should focus on strengthening MTCT of HIV awareness through targeted education for younger women, those with limited media exposure, and women in Cluster 6 and Cluster 7. Expanding community-based and antenatal care-based HIV education is essential. Efforts should also reduce socioeconomic and regional disparities by improving access to HIV information among low-income and underserved populations to ensure equitable knowledge distribution.