Factors influencing Hiv/aids counselling and testing uptake among men in Kenya: a case of Kiandutu slums, Thika

Abstract

Voluntary HIV Counselling and Testing (VCT) is one of the key strategies in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in Kenya. However, the utilization of VCT services particularly among men is low. The major barriers to VCT use among men were poor utilization of VCT services due to poor access, stigma and confidentiality of services. Despite the array of delivery approaches and the advantages of VCT, uptake in sub-Saharan Africa is disappointingly low with reports of 12% to 56% among couples or the general public. The purpose of this study was to establish the factors influencing HIV/AIDS counselling and testing uptake among men in Kenya by focusing on Kiandutu slums in Thika. The objective of the study was to establish the influence of socio-demographic characteristics, sociocultural factors and health service factors on HIV/AIDS counselling and testing uptake among men in Kiandutu slums. This research problem was studied through the use of a descriptive survey research design. The target population of this study was 7213 men aged between 15 and 49 years in Kiandutu slums. The study also included 24 health care officers in Kiandutu slums. The study then used simple random sampling to select 365 men in Kiandutu slums. The study also selected all the 24 healthcare workers in Kiandutu slums. The sample size of this study was therefore 389 respondents. Qualitative data was collected by use of interview guides while quantitative data was collected by use of semi-structured questionnaires. The quantitative data in this research was analyzed by descriptive statistics such as the frequencies percentages, mean and standard deviation using statistical package for social sciences (SPPS V 21.0). The research also conducted a correlation analysis. The study found that there is a positive and significant relationship between HIV/AIDS counselling and testing uptake among men and socio-demographic characteristics, socio-cultural factors and health service factors of magnitude 0.628, 0.778 and 0.632 respectively. The positive relationship indicates that there is a correlation between the factors and HIV/AIDS counselling and testing uptake among men. The study concludes that one issue of particular relevance is stigma surrounding both the HIV testing process and the disclosure of an HIVpositive status. The stigmatizing nature of HIV/AIDS is a factor that influence delayed HIV testing by at-risk persons. The study recommends that there is a need of promotion of VCT through sound and viable information and counselling interventions by involving mass media, colleges, mass organizations and parents