Conspiracy beliefs and knowledge about HIV origins among adolescents in Soweto, South Africa

Abstract

PurposeWe examined adolescents’ knowledge regarding the origin of HIV/AIDS and correlates of beliefs surrounding conspiracy theories in Soweto, South Africa. Now, a decade post-AIDS denialism, South Africa has the largest antiretroviral therapy roll-out worldwide. However, conspiracy theories stemming from past AIDS denialism may impact HIV prevention and treatment efforts.MethodsStudy participants were recruited through the Kganya Motsha Adolescent Health Centre and the Perinatal HIV Research Unit’s Botsha Bophelo Adolescent Health Study (BBAHS). Adolescents were eligible to participate if aged 14–19 years and living in Soweto. We calculated the proportion of adolescents who correctly believed that HIV originated from non-human primates, and used contingency table analysis and logistic regression modeling to describe correlates associated with accurate knowledge and beliefs in conspiracy theories.ResultsOf 830 adolescents, 168 (20.2%) participants correctly identified HIV as originating from chimpanzees and one third (n = 71, 8.6%) believed in a conspiracy theory about the origins of HIV, including that it originated from the US government (2.3%), the pharmaceutical industry (2.2%), a vaccine (2.1%), space (1.5%), and a scientist (0.6%). Participants who were more likely to correctly identify the origin of HIV were older, men, and unemployed. Participants who were men, unemployed or students, and who had a parent or close relative who had died of HIV, were more likely to believe in a conspiracy theory regarding the origins of HIV.ConclusionsAdolescents living in Soweto did not have high levels of accurate knowledge regarding the origins of HIV/AIDS and conspiracy beliefs were present among a small minority of participants. Accurate knowledge of the origins of HIV and debunking myths are important for improving uptake of HIV prevention tools in this population.

Understanding Conspiracy Theories

“…In this study, conspiracy believers were more likely to be male, unmarried, less educated, have lower income, be unemployed, be a member of an ethnic minority group, and have weaker social networks. Similar relationships were found in a large sample of South African adolescents when surveyed about HIV/AIDS conspiracy theories (Hogg et al, ).…”

“…Specifically, one conspiracy theory alleges that birth control is a form of genocide against Africans and African Americans (see Ball, ; Ford, Wallace, Newman, Lee, & William, ). This conspiracy theory is believed widely in both the United States and South Africa (Hogg et al, ; Nattrass, ). Thorburn and Bogart () found that belief in this conspiracy theory among African Americans was positively associated with negative attitudes toward contraceptive methods and less use of contraceptive methods.…”

Illness and disease: an empirical-ethical viewpoint

“…Some people, for example, claim HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) to be harmless and not to cause AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) or any other serious diseases and still other denialism movements doubt that HIV exists at all [80]. Other groups of patients reject the credibility of scientific explanatory models concerning the origin of AIDS and build conspiracy theories [81]. Antiretroviral therapy, for them, is seen only as an instrument to increase the pharmaceutical industry’s profits.…”

Cross‐Sectional Psychological and Demographic Associations of Zika Knowledge and Conspiracy Beliefs Before and After Local Zika Transmission

“…It is also important to explore shared demographic associations with both infectious disease knowledge and conspiracy beliefs, as these associations can help to guide targeting of communication efforts. We are aware of only two studies comparing associations with infectious disease knowledge and conspiracy beliefs (Hogg et al., ). Hogg and his colleagues examined demographic associations with HIV knowledge and conspiracy beliefs in an adolescent sample of South Africans.…”

“…Demographic associations with infectious‐disease‐related conspiracy beliefs are rarely reported. There is some evidence that women and older adults are less likely to endorse infectious‐ disease‐related conspiracies (Galliford & Furnham, ; Hogg et al., ), but other research has found no associations with age and gender (Jolley & Douglas, ).…”