Disclosure and Safe Sex Practices Among People Living with HIV/AIDS Attending Art Clinic at The University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria

Abstract

Disclosure is an important aspect of HIV/AIDS control. Reduced surveillance on disclosure may make unsafe sex practices go unnoticed among HIV positive clients, thus precipitating new infections. This survey was designed to assess HIV-status disclosure and safe sex practices among HIV positive clients attending Anti-retroviral Therapy Clinic at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria and determine the association between them. The survey was cross-sectional in design and a systematic random sampling technique was used to recruit 454 respondents. A semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect relevant information. Safe sex practice was measured as “proportion of HIV positive clients who or the partner used condom during the last sexual intercourse”. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and logistic regression at p<0.05. Respondents’ mean age was 43.3 ± 10.3 years, females accounted for 73.8% and 81.1% were currently married. Sixty-five percent had disclosed their HIV-status to their sexual partners. Forty-eight percent had sexual intercourse in the preceding three months and 43.4% engaged in safe sex practices. Predictors of safe sex practices were male (OR: 1.938; CI=1.191–3.156; p=0.008) and knowledge about partners’ HIV status (OR: 2.163; CI=0.502-1.505; p=0.01). Many HIV positive clients had disclosed their HIV-status to their sexual partners. However, disclosure was not associated with safe sex practices. More innovative strategies are needed to promote disclosure rate and safe sex practices among HIV positive clients