Ife Agboola
Country: Nigeria
Background: Pharmacology
The disparity between knowledge of and adopting safe sexual practices continues to be a prominent issue for both public health workers and social science analysts. The past 10 years have seen exceptional progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS, yet the results remain unevenly distributed. Nigeria carries the second largest burden of HIV globally, and low risk perception has been identified as a key driver of the epidemic in the nation. This study explores how HIV as a chronic illness may influence the perceptions of risk in young adults living in Lagos, Nigeria.
One-to-one, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were carried out on a purposive sample of 9 participants drawn from attendees at a VCT centre in a General Hospital in Lagos. The inclusion criteria required that they live in Lagos, were between 18 to 24 years of age, sexually active and HIV-negative.
Findings suggest that the understanding of HIV as a chronic illness is not universal. There remains the view that HIV 'means' death. Although, not much is known about ART, some acknowledged that HIV can be managed based on the availability of treatment, 'good food' and 'love and care'. Risk groups (specifically women and youth) were identified by some respondents, but all respondents perceive a generalized risk to themselves and others, whether they identified as part of such a risk group or not. Respondents acknowledged unprotected sexual intercourse as the primary route of HIV transmission, but there was a perceived risk around personal sharp items (specifically hair clippers and/or blades). While many acknowledged the use of condoms vital for preventing against HIV transmission, a small number of respondents raised doubts about their effectiveness.
Competition between formal and informal sources of information was evident and was thought to contribute to how the young adults perceived HIV. Fear of knowing one's status emerged as a generalised view, with the tendency to deter people from attending VCT. Religious belief systems and 'moral' values also emerged as forces that govern sexual behaviours and responses to risk. The findings in this study suggest that young people should remain centre stage when implementing prevention strategies. Future prevention and intervention programs should focus on reinforcing education about the effectiveness of condoms amongst this group of high-risk individuals, as this is likely to impact on their use. Awareness about available treatments for HIV may help to alleviate some of the fear of VCT. However, the challenge is to alleviate that fear, without introducing complacency about the dangers of HIV. It is hoped that findings from this study will inform future studies and ultimately, responses to control HIV infection.
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