Perception and Uptake of HIV/AIDS Voluntary Counselling and Testing Among Women in Akinyele Local Government Area, Ibadan.

Abstract

Introduction: At the end of 2020, there were reportedly 37.7 million HIV-positive individuals. HIV testing has been marketed as a crucial first step method to diagnose, treat, and prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. It is the cornerstone of all HIV prevention initiatives. The study's main aim was to ascertain the degree of HIV and HIV VCT (voluntary counselling and testing) awareness among women in Akinyele Local Government Area, Ibadan, as well as their attitudes towards HIV VCT and the rate at which they adopted the treatment. Method: This study employed a descriptive study design aimed at assessing the perception and uptake of HIV VCT among women residing in Akinyele Local Government Area, Ibadan, Oyo state. The total population of the women was 410. The sample size was determined using the Taro Yamane formula and the sample size was 220 women which was allocated proportionally to each primary health care center. The research instrument used for the study is a self-administered questionnaire. Results: The results showed that more than 75% of respondents had good understanding of HIV and HIV VCT, and that 65% had positive perceptions of HIV VCT. The study found that there is no significant association between women's level of education and their level of knowledge on HIV and HIV VCT and conclude that there is no significant association between women's perception of HIV and HIV VCT and HIV VCT uptake. Conclusion: In conclusion, the result revealed like other related studies that the attitude of women in Akinyele local government towards HIV Voluntary Counselling and Testing is just a little above average which means quite a number of the respondents are still not willing to take HIV VCT. Hence, the women need more sensitization on the importance and benefits of HIV VCT.