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Influence of Food Supplements on Testing for HIV and Aids and Adhering to Treatment in a Resource Poor Rural Setting: A Case of Chivuna, Southern Zambia

Received: 6 March 2015     Accepted: 31 March 2015     Published: 10 April 2015
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Abstract

Background: There is a serious dearth of literature, particularly on Zambia, on the influential role of food supplements on people’s decision to take up an HIV test, start and adhere to AIDS treatment. Methods: Using data from a large ethnographic qualitative study in a resource poor rural setting in Zambia, this paper examines and documents the critical role of food supplements in influencing people to go for HIV testing, initiate treatment and stick to it. Results: Findings show that people who felt food insecure were reluctant to go for a test, thereby not accessing treatment and care services. The narratives revealed numerous aspects of food supplements, HIV testing, ART uptake and adherence, including desire to have access to food due to food insecurity, hoping and wishing to be found positive to access food, envying the HIV positive accessing food, desiring to have physical transformation and healthy-looking bodies enabled by increased access to food, reluctance and avoidance of taking the drugs without food, and worries about food once on medication. Conclusion: The study has shown a close link between food supplements, willingness to test, start taking medication and adherence. Therefore, food supplements should be made an integral part of HIV and AIDS related services in resource poor settings. This means devising more sustainable cross-sectional approaches to foster food security and general livelihoods, such as initiation of income generating activities among vulnerable rural poor, particularly those living with HIV and AIDS.

Published in Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 3, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.13
Page(s) 314-320
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2015. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Zambia, HIV and AIDS, Food Supplements, HIV Testing, Adherence, ART

References
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[2] Babalola, S. (2007). Readiness for HIV Testing among Young People in Northern Nigeria: The Roles of Social Norm and Perceived Stigma. AIDS Behav (11) 759-769.
[3] Fylkenes, and Siziya, S. (2004). A randomised trial on acceptability of voluntary HIV counseling and testing. Tropical Medicine and International Health (9):566-572.
[4] Jackson, H. (2002). AIDS Africa, Continent in crisis, SAFAIDS, SIDA, UNFPA, Avondale Harare, Zimbabwe.
[5] Weiser, S., Wolfe, W., Bangsberge, D., Thior, I., Gilbert, P., Makhena, J., Max, E., and Marlink, R. J. (2003). Barriers to antiviral adherence for patients living with HIV infection in Botswana. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome 34:281-280.
[6] Bangsberge D R, Perry S and Charlebois E, D. (2001). Non-adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy predicts progression to AIDS and death. AIDS (15) pp. 1181-1183.
[7] Hogg, R. S, Heath K and Bangsberge, D. R. (2002). Intermittent use triple-combination therapy is predictive of mortality at baseline and after 1 year of follow-up. AIDS 16, pp. 1051-1058.
[8] Murray, L.K., Semrau, E., McCurley, D. M., Thea, N. Scott & P. Bolton (2009). Barriers to acceptance and adherence of antiretroviral therapy in urban Zambian women, a qualitative study. AIDS Care, 21(1), pp78-86.
[9] Hardon, A.P. Akurut D., Commoro C., Irude H. F., Gerrits T., et al (2007), Hunger, Waiting Time and Transport costs: Time to Confront challenges to ART adherence in Africa, AIDS Care 19(5), 658-665
[10] Malungo, J. R. S. (2001). Sexual cleansing (Kusalazya) and levirate marriage (kunjililamunganda) in the era of AIDS, challenges in perception and practices in Zambia. Social Science and medicine 53(3), 371-382.
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[12] Chirawu P., Langhaug, L., Mavhu W., Pascoe S., Dirawo J., Cowan F. (2009). Acceptability and Challenges of implementing voluntary counseling in rural Zimbabwe, evidence from the Regaidzive Shiri Project. Rutledge, 37-41, Mortimer street, London, WIT 3JH, UK.
[13] Sanjobo, N., Frich Jan C. and Fretheim , A. ,(2008), Barriers and Facilitors to patient adherence to antiretroviral treatment in Zambia ,a qualitative study. Journal of Social aspects of HIV/AIDS, Volume 5 (3); pp 136-142
[14] Ntalasha, H. (2000) Savings among the rural poor , a case of Chivuna Southern province, FAO, Lusaka, Zambia
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  • APA Style

    Harriet Ntalasha, Jacob R. S. Malungo, Sonja Merten, Simona J. Simona. (2015). Influence of Food Supplements on Testing for HIV and Aids and Adhering to Treatment in a Resource Poor Rural Setting: A Case of Chivuna, Southern Zambia. Science Journal of Public Health, 3(3), 314-320. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.13

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    ACS Style

    Harriet Ntalasha; Jacob R. S. Malungo; Sonja Merten; Simona J. Simona. Influence of Food Supplements on Testing for HIV and Aids and Adhering to Treatment in a Resource Poor Rural Setting: A Case of Chivuna, Southern Zambia. Sci. J. Public Health 2015, 3(3), 314-320. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.13

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    AMA Style

    Harriet Ntalasha, Jacob R. S. Malungo, Sonja Merten, Simona J. Simona. Influence of Food Supplements on Testing for HIV and Aids and Adhering to Treatment in a Resource Poor Rural Setting: A Case of Chivuna, Southern Zambia. Sci J Public Health. 2015;3(3):314-320. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.13,
      author = {Harriet Ntalasha and Jacob R. S. Malungo and Sonja Merten and Simona J. Simona},
      title = {Influence of Food Supplements on Testing for HIV and Aids and Adhering to Treatment in a Resource Poor Rural Setting: A Case of Chivuna, Southern Zambia},
      journal = {Science Journal of Public Health},
      volume = {3},
      number = {3},
      pages = {314-320},
      doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.20150303.13},
      abstract = {Background: There is a serious dearth of literature, particularly on Zambia, on the influential role of food supplements on people’s decision to take up an HIV test, start and adhere to AIDS treatment. Methods: Using data from a large ethnographic qualitative study in a resource poor rural setting in Zambia, this paper examines and documents the critical role of food supplements in influencing people to go for HIV testing, initiate treatment and stick to it. Results: Findings show that people who felt food insecure were reluctant to go for a test, thereby not accessing treatment and care services. The narratives revealed numerous aspects of food supplements, HIV testing, ART uptake and adherence, including desire to have access to food due to food insecurity, hoping and wishing to be found positive to access food, envying the HIV positive accessing food, desiring to have physical transformation and healthy-looking bodies enabled by increased access to food, reluctance and avoidance of taking the drugs without food, and worries about food once on medication. Conclusion: The study has shown a close link between food supplements, willingness to test, start taking medication and adherence. Therefore, food supplements should be made an integral part of HIV and AIDS related services in resource poor settings. This means devising more sustainable cross-sectional approaches to foster food security and general livelihoods, such as initiation of income generating activities among vulnerable rural poor, particularly those living with HIV and AIDS.},
     year = {2015}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Influence of Food Supplements on Testing for HIV and Aids and Adhering to Treatment in a Resource Poor Rural Setting: A Case of Chivuna, Southern Zambia
    AU  - Harriet Ntalasha
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    AU  - Sonja Merten
    AU  - Simona J. Simona
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.13
    T2  - Science Journal of Public Health
    JF  - Science Journal of Public Health
    JO  - Science Journal of Public Health
    SP  - 314
    EP  - 320
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-7950
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150303.13
    AB  - Background: There is a serious dearth of literature, particularly on Zambia, on the influential role of food supplements on people’s decision to take up an HIV test, start and adhere to AIDS treatment. Methods: Using data from a large ethnographic qualitative study in a resource poor rural setting in Zambia, this paper examines and documents the critical role of food supplements in influencing people to go for HIV testing, initiate treatment and stick to it. Results: Findings show that people who felt food insecure were reluctant to go for a test, thereby not accessing treatment and care services. The narratives revealed numerous aspects of food supplements, HIV testing, ART uptake and adherence, including desire to have access to food due to food insecurity, hoping and wishing to be found positive to access food, envying the HIV positive accessing food, desiring to have physical transformation and healthy-looking bodies enabled by increased access to food, reluctance and avoidance of taking the drugs without food, and worries about food once on medication. Conclusion: The study has shown a close link between food supplements, willingness to test, start taking medication and adherence. Therefore, food supplements should be made an integral part of HIV and AIDS related services in resource poor settings. This means devising more sustainable cross-sectional approaches to foster food security and general livelihoods, such as initiation of income generating activities among vulnerable rural poor, particularly those living with HIV and AIDS.
    VL  - 3
    IS  - 3
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • The University of Zambia, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Lusaka, Zambia

  • The University of Zambia, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Lusaka, Zambia

  • Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, Socinstrasse 57, Basel CH-4002, Switzerland

  • The University of Zambia, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Lusaka, Zambia

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