Abstract
BackgroundThe Human Immunodeficiency Virus /Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is not just a medical problem but its social impact is increasingly affecting its effective management. The fear of HIV-stigma constitutes a major barrier to HIV testing, prevention, uptake and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). We aimed to quantify HIV-related stigma, and identify the factors associated with high HIV-related stigma among persons living with HIV and AIDS (PLHIVA) and on ART.MethodsA hospital-based cross sectional analytic survey targeting PLHIVA on ART at the HIV-day care unit of the Bamenda Regional Hospital of Cameroon was conducted from February to April 2016. A total of 308 eligible and willing participants were consecutively included in the survey. Data were collected using a pretested questionnaire designed from the Berger HIV stigma scale and analyzed using Epi info 3.5.4.ResultsThe mean age of the 308 participants was 40.1±10.2 years. The mean overall HIV/AIDS related stigma score was 88.3 ± 18.80 which corresponds to a moderate level of stigma according to the Berger stigma scale. Further analysis revealed that most participants suffered from moderate forms of the different subtypes of stigma including: personalized (49.8%), disclosure (66.4%), negative self-image (50.0%) and public attitude (52.1%) stigmatization. It was estimated that 62.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 57.8–68.9%) of the participants lived with high levels of HIV-related stigma. After controlling for gender, religion, age and occupation, level of education below tertiary (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 0.70 [95% CI = 0.44–0.91]; p = 0.036) and a duration from diagnosis below 5 years (AOR = 1.74 [95% CI = 1.01–3.00]; p = 0.046) were significantly associated with high HIV-related stigma.ConclusionAbout three out of every five PLHIVA receiving ART in Bamenda Regional Hospital still experience high levels of HIV-related stigma. This occurs more frequently in participants with low educational status, and who may have known their HIV status for less than 5 years. Anti-HIV-stigma programs in the North West Region need strengthening with intensified psychosocial follow-up of newly diagnosed cases.
Highlights
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus /Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)) is not just a medical problem but its social impact is increasingly affecting its effective management
A total of 331 persons living with HIV and AIDS (PLHIVA) were contacted for the study and 23 refused to participate giving a final sample size of 308 PLHIVA and a non-response rate of 6.9%
Over 60% of the participants lived with high levels of The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related stigma
Summary
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus /Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is not just a medical problem but its social impact is increasingly affecting its effective management. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus /Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) remains one of the most stigmatizing pandemics worldwide [1]. By the end of 2015, an estimated 36.7 million people were living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, with over two-thirds residing in sub-Saharan Africa, which includes Cameroon [4]. Tackling AIDS-related stigma and discrimination is crucial in the effective prevention of HIV/AIDS, the care of PLHIVA (People Living with HIV and AIDS) and goes a long way to significantly help in containing and managing this pandemic [1, 7,8,9,10]. HIV-related discrimination is a human right violation according to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, but problems of HIV-related stigmatization and discrimination need to be properly addressed to successfully meet public health goals [11, 12]
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