Amsterdam 2015
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| Abstract #2240 - Sisters unite - Women and HIV | ||||
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Session: 43.6: Sisters unite - Women and HIV (Parallel) on Thursday @ 16.30-18.00 in C002 Chaired by Authors: Presenting Author: Dr Hetta Gouse - University of Cape Town, South Africa |
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| Additional Authors: | ||||
| Aim: HIV counseling is an integral part to HIV management, and is critical in instilling HIV related and antiretroviral treatment (ART) knowledge, and to inform beliefs and attitudes regarding HIV treatment and disclosure. In particular, effective HIV/ART counseling should result in better knowledge about HIV and ART. Few studies have assessed the impact of HIV lay-counseling on HIV knowledge and beliefs. Among patients initiating ART and about to enter a randomized controlled trial of an ART adherence intervention, we compared a sub-sample of HIV+ women who underwent previous standard of care ART counseling for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) (and who used ART only during their pregnancy) to ART naïve women initiating ART who had no prior ART counseling. We hypothesized that the PMTCT group will have better HIV knowledge, insight and beliefs, a more positive attitude towards ART, better adherence self-efficacy, and higher disclosure rates. | ||||
| Method / Issue: HIV+ women commencing ART and entering an adherence intervention in South Africa completed baseline questionnaires assessing six constructs: 1) HIV knowledge, 2) HIV treatment related knowledge, 3) beliefs about HIV medication and medications generally, 4) attitudes towards HIV disclosure, 5) ART adherence self-efficacy, and 6) HIV insights and beliefs. An independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare those who have received previous ART counseling (PMTCT) to ART-naive participants. | ||||
| Results / Comments: Among the three hundred and thirty one (106 PMTCT 225 ART-naïve) participants who were interviewed, the mean age was 31 (SD = 7.2 PMTCT = 31, SD = 5.60 ART-naïve = 31, SD = 7.87) years, 95.5% were isiXhosa speakers, and 33% completed tertiary schooling (12 years). Our hypothesis was partially supported. The PMTCT group performed significantly better on the HIV Insight and Beliefs Scale (t(329)=.-2.85, p=.004) with a trend towards significance (t(325)=.-1.918, p=.05) on the Beliefs about Medications Questionnaire. | ||||
| Discussion: Women who have received previous HIV counseling have better insight into HIV in that they hold less folk beliefs about HIV, and they tend to be less likely to believe that ART is problematic. The groups were homogenous with regard to HIV knowledge, treatment related knowledge, attitudes towards disclosure, and adherence self-efficacy suggesting that lay-counseling does not address these areas adequately, or that it becomes less effective over time. | ||||
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