Barriers to and acceptability of provider-initiated HIV testing and counselling and adopting HIV-prevention behaviours in rural Uganda: a qualitative study

J Health Psychol. 2015 Feb;20(2):173-87. doi: 10.1177/1359105313500685. Epub 2013 Sep 20.

Abstract

In Uganda, a nationwide scale-up of provider-initiated HIV testing and counselling presents an opportunity to deliver HIV-prevention services to large numbers of people. In a rural Ugandan hospital, focus group discussions and key informant interviews were conducted with outpatients receiving provider-initiated HIV testing and counselling and staff to explore the HIV-prevention information, motivation and behavioural skills strengths and weaknesses, and community-level and structural barriers to provider-initiated HIV testing and counselling acceptability and HIV prevention among this population. Strengths and weakness occurred at all levels, and results suggest brief client-centred interventions during provider-initiated HIV testing and counselling may be an effective approach to increase prevention behaviours in outpatient settings.

Keywords: AIDS; HIV; health behaviour; prevention; screening.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Counseling / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Focus Groups
  • HIV Infections / diagnosis*
  • HIV Infections / prevention & control
  • HIV Infections / psychology*
  • Health Behavior
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
  • Health Services Accessibility / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mass Screening / psychology
  • Mass Screening / statistics & numerical data
  • Middle Aged
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care / psychology
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care / statistics & numerical data*
  • Qualitative Research
  • Rural Population / statistics & numerical data
  • Uganda
  • Young Adult