Description

ATPUBVCT (V784C) indicates whether, in response to an open-ended question, the woman reported a public voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) center as a place to be tested for the AIDS virus.

Some samples in the "AT" series include categories that can be consolidated into a single response. IPUMS-DHS uses supplemental programming to combine these responses in a standard variable while preserving the separate responses in country-specific variables. See Comparability for more information on the specific categories combined in this variable.

IPUMS-DHS users should be careful to distinguish ATPUBVCT from ATPRIVVCT (private VCT center).

Comparability — Index

Comparability

Apart from universe differences and slight differences in response category wording, ATPUBVCT (V784C) is comparable across most samples. Most commonly, this response category is listed under the "Public Medical Sector" header and is worded as "VCT center" or "stand-alone VCT center." Some countries diverge from this standard convention, and, in some cases, multiple categories were consolidated to form a single, more comprehensive response. Countries of particular interest are noted below.

Most commonly, this variable included women who have heard of HIV/AIDS and have never been tested for HIV/AIDS. Other samples diverge from this standard, and in these cases, researchers may wish to exclude women who have not heard of HIV/AIDS (using AIDSHEARD) and who have been tested for HIV/AIDS (using AIDTESTEV).

Comparability - Standard DHS

ATPUBVCT (V784C) first appears in Phase V of the Standard DHS. From Phase VII, this category is listed as "stand-alone HTC center," which stands for HIV Testing and Counselling. Yet, some countries still use VCT.

Universe