Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management

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Browsing Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management by Author "Akinyemi, Oladimeji Akeem"

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    A comparative analysis of HIV serostatus disclosure pattern among men and women in Gaborone City Council, Botswana
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013-03) Akinyemi, Oladimeji Akeem; Davis, Burt; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology. Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Disclosure of HIV status is an integral part of HIV prevention and care programmes. It plays a key role in adherence to antiretroviral therapy. It is a vital component of voluntary counselling and testing which is the gateway to HIV prevention, care and access to anti-retroviral treatment. The aim of this study was to compare the pattern of HIV-status disclosure among men and women respectively as well as to evaluate the factors that influenced HIV-status disclosure among these groups. A sample of 74 participants from four Infectious Disease Control Clinics located in Gaborone, Botswana completed self-administered questionnaires. The contents of the questionnaire addressed issues around knowledge and attitude towards disclosure, timing of disclosure and to whom, reasons for disclosure or non-disclosure, barriers to disclosure and consequences of disclosure. The study found that the majority of respondents had disclosed their HIV-status. Disclosure was more common among older participants for both men and women. In most scenarios presented to respondents, women were more willing than men to disclose their HIV status. However, men were more willing to disclose their status if they were e.g. faced with situations in which they were seriously ill, where their peers or friends were also willing to disclose their status or in cases where they would not be able to keep their hospital visits secret. Further research is needed on disclosure pattern among both males and females of low and high socio-economic status. The study recommended that the subject of disclosure should be introduced into routine HIV/AIDS improvement monitoring parameters.