School of Public Health, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar P.O. Box 79, Ethiopia.
Amhara Public Health Institute, Bahir Dar P.O. Box 3898, Ethiopia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Jul 27;21(8):982. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21080982.
Indigenous institutions play a vital role in fighting HIV stigma by leveraging their cultural knowledge, leadership, and community connections. Understanding HIV/AIDS attitudes, information gaps, and stigma among members of indigenous institutions is critical for devising culturally relevant and successful interventions and preventative strategies. This study was conducted with the objective of assessing the levels of knowledge about HIV/AIDS and the various HIV/AIDS discriminatory attitudes and practices among members of the Awi Equestrian Association, an indigenous association in Awi Zone, Northwest Ethiopia, that plays major roles in the social, cultural, political, and economic activities of the community. The study is a cross-sectional study conducted from June through July 2022. Eight hundred and forty-six people in the study area were interviewed using a pilot-tested questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with the score level of HIV-related stigma. Forty-five percent of study participants did not have adequate knowledge of HIV/AIDS, and 67.4% had moderate to high discriminatory attitudes towards people living with HIV. HIV-stigmatizing practices were high, with 36% admitting to speaking badly about people living with HIV and 23% wanting their relative with HIV to seek treatment in another zone. In our study, low level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS ( < 0.001), older age ( < 0.05), and male sex ( < 0.05) were factors associated with higher levels of stigmatizing practices. In conclusion, HIV-related stigma is common in Awi Zone. The Awi Equestrian Association has become a unique potential partner for HIV control in the area in an effort to achieve United Nation AIDS target of 95-95-95.
本土机构利用其文化知识、领导力和社区联系，在抗击艾滋病毒污名方面发挥着至关重要的作用。了解本土机构成员对艾滋病毒/艾滋病的态度、信息差距和污名问题，对于制定文化相关且成功的干预和预防策略至关重要。本研究旨在评估埃塞俄比亚西北部 Awi 地区的 Awi 马术协会（该协会在社区的社会、文化、政治和经济活动中扮演着重要角色）成员对艾滋病毒/艾滋病的了解程度以及各种艾滋病毒/艾滋病歧视态度和行为。该研究是 2022 年 6 月至 7 月期间进行的横断面研究。采用经过预试验的问卷对研究地区的 846 人进行了访谈。采用多元线性回归分析确定与艾滋病毒相关污名评分水平相关的因素。45%的研究参与者对艾滋病毒/艾滋病缺乏足够的了解，67.4%的人对艾滋病毒感染者持有中度至高度歧视态度。对艾滋病毒感染者的污名化行为很高，有 36%的人承认说艾滋病毒感染者的坏话，有 23%的人希望他们有艾滋病毒的亲属到另一个地区寻求治疗。在我们的研究中，对艾滋病毒/艾滋病的了解程度较低（<0.001）、年龄较大（<0.05）和男性（<0.05）是与污名化行为较高相关的因素。总之，艾滋病毒相关污名在 Awi 地区很普遍。Awi 马术协会已成为该地区艾滋病毒控制的独特潜在合作伙伴，以实现联合国艾滋病规划署 95-95-95 目标。
