Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town.
Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med. 2024 Aug 9;16(1):e1-e10. doi: 10.4102/phcfm.v16i1.4264.
Population ageing and access to antiretroviral therapy have resulted in an increase in the proportion of older people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, scant knowledge is available to inform the design of educational programmes to target these persons in low- and middle-income countries.
This study aimed to examine how persons aged ≥ 50 years view their risk of contracting HIV, and the extent to which they are supported in preventing infection and are impacted by the HIV or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic.
Rural sites in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
This study followed a qualitative design. Two focus group discussions with persons aged ≥ 50 years and interviews with two key informants were conducted at seniors' centres. Discussions were digitally audio recorded and the recordings were transcribed, and data were thematically analysed.
Overall, awareness of the risk of older persons contracting HIV infection in this population was poor. Stigmatisation of the disease in the community and at health care facilities affected individuals' willingness to be tested for the virus and/or to disclose their status, if positive. Participants viewed HIV and AIDS education programmes as focussed on the youth and educational sessions for large groups were not helpful in stemming the epidemic.
Dissemination of information on older persons' vulnerability to the disease, and education on HIV and AIDS tailored for and targeted at this age group have been relatively neglected.Contribution: Educational programmes on HIV, as well as productive channels and platforms to target older populations, particularly those with a low health literacy level are required.
人口老龄化和抗逆转录病毒疗法的普及使得感染人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）的老年人口比例有所增加。然而，在中低收入国家，针对这一人群设计教育项目的知识还很匮乏。
本研究旨在调查年龄≥50 岁的人群如何看待自己感染 HIV 的风险，以及他们在预防感染方面得到了多少支持，以及 HIV 或获得性免疫缺陷综合征（AIDS）流行对他们产生了哪些影响。
南非西开普省的农村地区。
本研究采用定性设计。在老年人中心进行了两次≥50 岁人群的焦点小组讨论和两次关键知情人的访谈。讨论内容进行了数字音频录制，并对录音进行了转录，然后对数据进行了主题分析。
总体而言，该人群中老年人感染 HIV 的风险意识较差。社区和医疗机构对该疾病的污名化影响了个人接受病毒检测和/或透露阳性结果的意愿。参与者认为 HIV 和艾滋病教育计划主要针对年轻人，而针对较大群体的教育课程对遏制疫情没有帮助。
有关老年人易感染该疾病的信息传播以及针对该年龄组的 HIV 和艾滋病教育相对较少。
需要针对老年人群，特别是那些健康素养水平较低的人群，开展有关 HIV 的教育计划，并提供有效的渠道和平台。
