Barriers and facilitating factors to HIV treatment among men in a high-HIV burdened district in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: A qualitative study
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Abstract
Despite enormous increases in the proportion of people living with HIV accessing treatment in sub-Saharan Africa, major gender disparities persist, with men experiencing lower rates of testing, linkage to treatment, and retention in care. In this study, we investigated the barriers and facilitating factors to HIV treatment among men in uThukela, a high-HIV-burdened district in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. We conducted a qualitative study including nine Black African male participants who were recruited from 18 health care facilities in uThukela District, KwaZulu-Natal province. In-depth interviews were conducted with participants who linked to care and those who did not link to care at 3-month post HIV diagnosis. We used Atlas.ti for thematic analysis. Data were coded and linked to broader themes emerging across interviews. The median age was 40 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 31–41). This study identified the following key themes which emerged as barriers to HIV treatment among men in uThukela District: lack of emotional readiness, perceived medication side effects, fear of treatment non-adherence, perceived stigma and confidentiality concerns, and poor socioeconomic factors.
Description
Keywords
Men, HIV, Public health, KwaZulu-Natal, Poverty
Citation
Hlongwa, M. et al. (2022). Barriers and facilitating factors to HIV treatment among men in a high-HIV burdened district in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: A qualitative study. American journal of men's health, 16(5). https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883221120987