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14th International AIDS ConferenceBarcelona, Spain — July 7-12, 2002 |
Int Conf AIDS. 2002 Jul 7-12;14:Abstract No. MoOrC1016
BACKGROUND: Health seeking behaviour for STD is an important factor in the control of STD, including HIV. Most studies are clinic-based, thereby not covering patients who never attend a clinic.
METHODS: A population-based survey was held among 1929 adults in four poor areas in Nairobi. For the 318 individuals who experienced STD-related complaints in the last 12 months, detailed information was gathered about all actions to seek care for the most recent complaint.
RESULTS: Nineteen percent of the 159 men and 35% of the 159 women had not sought care, mainly because the symptoms were not considered severe (30%) or disappeared (23%), or because they had no money (21%). Of the people who sought care, most went to private clinics (43% of men and 38% of women), followed by government/special STD clinics (14% and 26%), mission clinics (13% and 14%) and pharmacies (13% and 6%). Of the remaining 18% of men and 17% of women who sought care in the informal sector (traditional healers, street vendors, self-care), half went to traditional healers. The main reason for choice of provider was convenience, i.e. being at a nearby location (29%), followed by the assumed quality of care (19%), and affordability (11%). Reported cure rates after visiting a first health care provider were very high (78%), probably partly due to spontaneous loss of symptoms. Only 16% of people who sought care went to a second provider, mainly to private clinics.
CONCLUSIONS: In Nairobi, over a quarter of people with STD-related complaints reported not to have sought care at all. To improve STD control, these people should be convinced of the importance to seek care for their complaints, e.g. through health education in communities. Since most people go to private clinics because they are nearby, it may be difficult to convince them to go to government or special STD clinics, which provide better care but are fewer in number and therefore usually further away.
Presenting author: Helene Voeten
1Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
2Reproductive Health Research Unit, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.
3Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
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MoOrC1016
Copyright © 2002 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.
