Background: One of the key strategies in the HIV/AIDS prevention
and control programmes in Nigeria is Voluntary HIV counselling and testing
(VCT). There were 38 million people living with HIV/AIDS globally at the end of
2019 with an estimated 1.7 million new infections, declining by 23% from the
2010 value of 2.1 million. However, its utilisation among young adults,
particularly undergraduates, is very low. Due to the dearth of data on the
subject in the study area, the aim of the present study was to determine the
prevalence and predictors of non-uptake of VCT among undergraduates.
Methods: The study was conducted at Abia State University, which
is one of the state-owned universities, located in South East part of Nigeria.
A cross-sectional study using quantitative methods was conducted. Using a
multistage sampling technique, three faculties were selected out of nine, and
422 respondents were selected from three faculties. Interviews were conducted
by trained enumerators with validated, pre-tested, semi-structured
questionnaires. Data analysis was done using a statistical package for social
sciences version 20. Prevalence was measured by the percentage of respondents
who had never used VCT. Analytical statistics were done using a chi-square test
to measure the strength of the association between VCT uptake and the knowledge
and attitude of respondents. Association with a P-value < 0.05 was
considered significant. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of
non-uptake of VCT. The associations were presented as odds ratios (OR) and 95%
confidence intervals.
Results: A total of 237 (59.3%) respondents were knowledgeable
about VCT while the majority, 259 (64.7%) had a negative attitude towards it.
Knowledge (X2 = 9.89, P-value < 0.001) and attitude (X2 = 10.78, P-value
< 0.001) showed a statistically significant association with VCT uptake. The
prevalence of non-uptake of VCT among the respondents was 82.7%. Ignorance,
fear of positive tests, stigma, and discrimination were found to be strong
predictors of non-uptake of VCT. OR 1.874 (1.058 - 3.289), P < 0.001; OR
2.455 (1.308 - 4.608), P < 0.000 and OR 2.318 (1.299 - 4.128), P < 0.000
respectively. This study showed that the majority of the respondents generally
had good knowledge of VCT for HIV with the majority also knowing that it is
voluntary.
Conclusions: Voluntary counselling and testing uptake among
undergraduates was low and determined by VCT-related ignorance, poor attitude,
fear of positive results, and HIV/AIDS-related stigma/discrimination. The
implication of the findings for HIV prevention and control efforts in Nigeria
lies in the importance of addressing the identified predictors of non-uptake of
VCT. Further, strengthening the communication between VCT clinics and other
local community and health services is also an indispensable strategy for
deepening awareness about VCT, mitigating stigma, and enhancing uptake. It is
also imperative to target specific interventions at high-risk and vulnerable
young adults, particularly in tertiary institutions, when designing, expanding,
and implementing VCT services by stakeholders in the country.
Author(s)
Details
Prince
Ezenwa N. Onyemachi
Department of Community Medicine, Abia State University Teaching
Hospital, Aba, Abia State, Nigeria.
Madu
James Awa
Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine and Health
Sciences, Gregory University Uturu, Abia State, Nigeria.
Mazi E.
C. Ejikem
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Abia State University
Teaching Hospital, Aba, Abia State, Nigeria.
Juliet
U. Enukeme
Department of Community Medicine, Abia State University Teaching
Hospital, Aba, Abia State, Nigeria.
Please see the book here: https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/dhrni/v3/1156
No comments:
Post a Comment