Department of Medicine, Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts.
UNICEF Belize Office, Belize.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2024 Jul 9;111(3):589-597. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0059. Print 2024 Sep 4.
Stigma affects adversely the HIV prevention continuum and care cascade. Our population-based, mixed-methods study aimed to assess women's perceived HIV stigma and discriminatory attitudes, and their relation with HIV testing in a high-prevalence area in Belize. This population-representing household survey in the mixed urban-rural setting of Stann Creek District, Belize, collected data from 236 women age 15 to 49 years. We analyzed HIV testing rates, HIV prevention and transmission knowledge, perceived stigma manifestations, and participant attitudes. Concurrently, a nested qualitative component of study cognitive interviews with a purposive sample of 23 women explored HIV stigma in their community. A vast majority of women (96%) perceived HIV stigma manifestations in their communities as pervasive and a deterrent to people from testing. Discriminatory attitudes (16% believe children with HIV should not attend school) and HIV misconceptions (53% fear acquiring HIV through saliva) tended to be more common in nonurban areas and among women with less formal education. Stigma persisted even with high HIV testing rates among women. Qualitative findings triangulated survey results and, taken together, suggest that prejudices held against people with HIV led to avoidance of HIV preventive measures such as testing and status disclosure, fueled by a strong distrust of the medical care system regarding confidentiality of HIV test results. Misconceptions about HIV and stigmatizing attitudes remain pervasive among women in Stann Creek, Belize. Health literacy, stigma interventions, and expansion of routine confidential testing to include men are needed to address the HIV and stigma syndemic in Belize.
污名对艾滋病病毒预防连续体和护理级联产生不利影响。我们的这项基于人群的混合方法研究旨在评估伯利兹高流行地区女性对艾滋病病毒的污名和歧视态度,以及它们与艾滋病病毒检测的关系。这项在伯利兹圣克里斯特尔区混合城乡环境中具有代表性的家庭调查,从年龄在 15 至 49 岁的 236 名女性中收集了数据。我们分析了艾滋病病毒检测率、艾滋病病毒预防和传播知识、感知污名表现以及参与者态度。同时,对具有目的抽样的 23 名女性进行了研究认知访谈的嵌套定性部分,以探讨她们社区中的艾滋病病毒污名。绝大多数女性(96%)认为她们社区中普遍存在艾滋病病毒污名表现,这阻碍了人们进行检测。歧视态度(16%的人认为感染艾滋病病毒的儿童不应上学)和艾滋病病毒误解(53%的人担心通过唾液感染艾滋病病毒)在非城市地区和受教育程度较低的女性中更为常见。即使女性的艾滋病病毒检测率很高,污名仍然存在。定性研究结果与调查结果相符,表明对感染艾滋病病毒的人的偏见导致了人们避免采取艾滋病预防措施,如检测和透露感染状况,这主要是由于对医疗保健系统对艾滋病病毒检测结果保密的强烈不信任。伯利兹圣克里斯特尔的女性中仍然普遍存在对艾滋病病毒的误解和污名态度。需要提高健康素养、开展污名干预措施,并将常规保密检测扩大到男性,以解决伯利兹的艾滋病病毒和污名综合征。
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008-7-16