HIV/AIDS and ‘othering’ in South Africa: The blame goes on

Petros, George; Airhihenbuwa, Collins O.; Simbayi, Leickness C.; Ramlagan, Shandir; Brown, Brandon

doi:10.1080/13691050500391489

Cited by 117 publications

(111 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

107

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…First, my finding of a Tanzanian cultural context of HIV stigma and discrimination is consistent with findings of a high prevalence of HIV stigma and discrimination in African communities (e.g., Petros et al, 2006;Airhihenbuwa et al, 2009;Okoror et al, 2014). For example, drawing on a focus group study of women living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa to explore the experience of stigma in healthcare settings, Okoror et al (2014) found stigmatizing practices such as specific file colors being used for HIV-positive patients and sections of the healthcare setting reserved only for PLWHA.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

An Institutional Field of People Living with HIV/AIDS Organizations in Tanzania: Agency, Culture, Dialogue, and Structure

Olufowote

2017

Front. Commun.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Communication research on public health organizations and people living with HIV/ AIDS (PLWHA) have paid insufficient attention to PLWHA organizations. These organizations, constituted and operated by PLWHA, advocate on behalf of PLWHA with more powerful institutions in society and serve as sources of empowerment and support. I drew on the culture-centered approach to health communication and institutional perspectives on health organizations to explore PLWHA organizations in Tanzania, namely, their cultural and structural contexts, agency, and dialogue. Tanzania has 1.5 million PLWHA and a 5.3% adult prevalence rate that ranks it as 12th highest in the world. Through interviews with leaders of 10 PLWHA organizations, I found a cultural context of HIV stigma and discrimination, a structural context consisting of corruption and bureaucratic politics in governing bodies as well as lack of access to resources, agency to impact PLWHA and members of society in a variety of ways, and processes of dialogue within advocacy networks of PLWHA organizations and in network collaborations with the government. I conclude with implications for improving the organizations' interactions with their structural context and for developing the contribution from the culture-centered approach to health communication on structures as health organizations and systems.Keywords: culture-centered approach, hiV/aiDs, institutional perspectives on health organizations, people living with hiV/aiDs organizations, sub-saharan africa People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) organizations are understudied in communication research. PLWHA organizations are non-profit organizations (NPOs) constituted and operated primarily by volunteers who are PLWHA. These organizations emerge out of dissatisfaction with responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic by more powerful societal actors (e.g., government); they pursue the interests of PLWHA by advocating on behalf of PLWHA in their communities and societies (Maguire et al., 2001). It is important to focus on PLWHA organizations because PLWHA in the Global South face continuing problems such as stigma and discrimination (Okoror et al., 2014). Moreover, these organizations have implications for the empowerment, support, and wellbeing of PLWHA.Although one body of communication research on health organizations has recognized a variety of public health organizations (e.g

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

An Institutional Field of People Living with HIV/AIDS Organizations in Tanzania: Agency, Culture, Dialogue, and Structure

Olufowote

2017

Front. Commun.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This is an interesting association given that only a small percentage of participants stated that being sick was their reason for their last HIV test. The association between testing and believing that others test when they are sick, although participants themselves do not report testing because of illness, this may reflect a sense among those who have tested that they tested for the ''right'' reasons while ''others'' wait until disease progression to test (Petros et al 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Associated with HIV Testing Among Public Sector Clinic Attendees in Johannesburg, South Africa

et al. 2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Uptake of VCT remains low in many sub-Saharan African countries. Men and women aged 15 and older were recruited from a family planning, STI, and VCT clinic in inner-city Johannesburg between 2004 and 2005 to take part in a cross-sectional survey on HIV testing (n = 198). Fourty-eight percent of participants reported previously testing for HIV and, of these, 86.9% reported disclosing their status to their sex partner. In multivariable analyses, individuals whose partners had been tested for HIV were more likely to have tested (AOR 2.92; 95% CI: 1.38-6.20). In addition, those who reported greater blame/ shame attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS were less likely to have tested (AOR 0.35; 95% CI: 0.16-0.77) while those reporting more equitable attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS were more likely to have tested (AOR 2.87; 95% CI: 1.20-6.86). Promotion of and increased access to couples HIV testing should be made available within the South African context. Abstract Uptake of VCT remains low in many subSaharan African countries. Men and women aged 15 and older were recruited from a family planning, STI, and VCT clinic in inner-city Johannesburg between 2004 and 2005 to take part in a cross-sectional survey on HIV testing (n = 198). Fourty-eight percent of participants reported previously testing for HIV and, of these, 86.9% reported disclosing their status to their sex partner. In multivariable analyses, individuals whose partners had been tested for HIV were more likely to have tested (AOR 2.92; 95% CI: 1.38-6.20). In addition, those who reported greater blame/ shame attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS were less likely to have tested (AOR 0.35; 95% CI: 0.16-0.77) while those reporting more equitable attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS were more likely to have tested (AOR 2.87; 95% CI: 1.20-6.86). Promotion of and increased access to couples HIV testing should be made available within the South African context.

show abstract

“…So much concern and alarm have been raised about the burden of HIV and AIDS related stigma and the negative impact it has on prevention [20][21][22]. As the HIV and AIDS epidemic continues to escalate in sub-Saharan Africa, the care of PLWHAs can place a significant burden on family caregivers [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Family Systems and HIV/AIDS in South Africa

Iwelunmor

Airhihenbuwa

Okoror

et al. 2008

Int Q Community Health Educ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study examines the role of family in the care and support of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) as a way of reducing the burden of stigma in the family. The PEN-3 model provided the cultural framework for this study. Data were drawn from participants' responses in 27 focus groups interviews conducted in South Africa. Participants were asked to discuss experiences of people living with HIV and AIDS in the family. The results highlight the positive and supportive aspects of the family, acknowledge the existential and unique aspects, and discuss the negative experiences shared by participants. This study's findings stress the need to take into account families' experiences with HIV and AIDS in the development of interventions aimed at reducing the burden of the disease on family systems and improving care and support for PLWHA.

show abstract

HIV/AIDS and ‘othering’ in South Africa: The blame goes on

Cited by 117 publications

References 11 publications

An Institutional Field of People Living with HIV/AIDS Organizations in Tanzania: Agency, Culture, Dialogue, and Structure

An Institutional Field of People Living with HIV/AIDS Organizations in Tanzania: Agency, Culture, Dialogue, and Structure

Factors Associated with HIV Testing Among Public Sector Clinic Attendees in Johannesburg, South Africa

Family Systems and HIV/AIDS in South Africa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About