The Gender Dimension of Living with Hiv Treatment Durgs: Challenges and Opportunites of Anti Retroviral Users at Zewditu Memorial Hopital
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Date
2008-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This research mainly focused on men and women who are living with the life long HIV
treatment drugs (ART). It has taken a gender lens to identify the socio-cultural and
economic challenges and opportunities they encounter in an effort to fulfill the
requirements associated with ART. The requirements under which participants were
examined include adherence, monitoring health status, nutrition, Khat and alcohol use
and safer sexual practices. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were the
major source of data collection tools and a small scale survey was also conducted.
Accordingly, findings revealed that poverty, fear of stigma and gender based violence
influence the adherence condition of women to greater extents than men. It is also
found out that women’s household responsibilities and men’s difficult working
environment challenges their ability to monitor their health status to the level ART use
require. With regard to fulfilling the nutritional requirements of ART, beyond the general
limitation of access to sufficient food, gender related norms are affecting men and
women differently. Men are more challenged by their inability to prepare and serve
their own food while women give priorities to feed other family members.
The study has found out that the use of Khat and alcohol by men taking ART is at the
minimal level. But rather starting ART has become the cut off point from such
addictions and related risky and violent behaviors. Findings on meeting the
requirements of practicing safe sex revealed that women’s lack of sexual negotiation
power further exposing them to re- infection and contracting drug resistant HIV strain.
Regarding identified opportunities; free provision of ART, food assistance targeting poor
women, financial assistance for some men in the formal sector and family acceptance
and support for adherence are the major ones. In general, the study has shown that
gender based differences can influence the challenges and opportunities of meeting the
requirements of ART from a variety of directions
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Gender Studies