Abstract
The purpose of this study was to describe HIV-testing attitudes, HIV related stigma and health care access in African-born men taking part in the African Health Cup (AHC), a soccer tournament held annually to improve HIV awareness and testing. Venue sampling was used to collect survey and qualitative interview data related to HIV-testing attitudes, stigma and experiences associated with the AHC. The sample included 135 survey respondents and 27 interview participants. AHC participants were successfully accessing health care services. Although the AHC was viewed positively, HIV testing rates remain low due to stigma and privacy concerns. This population continues to have misconceptions about HIV transmission and to use condoms inconsistently. The AHC is a successful intervention to engage African-born men in HIV awareness and education. More work is needed to enhance these AHC aspects and address stigma and privacy concerns related to using onsite health screenings. Continuing to develop novel strategies to educate African-born immigrants about HIV is urgently needed.
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Acknowledgments
The Africans For Improved Access (AFIA) Program at the Multicultural AIDS Coalition is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Infectious Disease, Office of HIV/AIDS. This project was supported by Award Number UL1RR031982 from the National Center for Research Resources. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health. The authors would like to acknowledge the valuable assistance of Juliet Berk, Tione Chilambe, Alice Kiwanuka, Alice Pwamang, Joshue Strong and Nwando Ofokansi.
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Bova, C., Nnaji, C., Woyah, A. et al. HIV Stigma, Testing Attitudes and Health Care Access Among African-Born Men Living in the United States. J Immigrant Minority Health 18, 187–193 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-014-0136-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-014-0136-2