Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Dec;17(1):38-44.
doi: 10.1080/17290376.2020.1857300.

Factors associated with discriminatory attitudes towards people living with HIV among adult population in Ethiopia: analysis on Ethiopian demographic and health survey

Gedefaw Alen Diress  1 , Mohammed Ahmed  1 , Melese Linger  1
Affiliations

Factors associated with discriminatory attitudes towards people living with HIV among adult population in Ethiopia: analysis on Ethiopian demographic and health survey

Gedefaw Alen Diress et al. SAHARA J. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Extensive discriminatory attitudes in a population can affect people's willingness to be tested for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), their initiation of antiretroviral therapy, social support as well as the quality of life of people infected with HIV. This study aimed to assess factors associated with discriminatory attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Secondary data analysis was conducted using data from the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic Health Survey. A total of 26,623 adult populations were included. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with discriminatory attitudes. The proportion of participants having discriminatory attitudes towards PLWHA was 93.8% among men and 64.5% among women. This study revealed that rural residence, no formal education, lack of media access, not previously tested for HIV and lack of comprehensive HIV knowledge increase the odds of having discriminatory attitudes. In conclusion, there is a high-level discriminatory attitude towards PLWHA. Improvement in HIV-related knowledge and dealing with wrong perceptions and myths are extremely vital to reduce discriminatory attitudes towards HIV-infected people. Information, education and communication programmes need to intensify its educational campaigns to dispel these misconceptions.

Keywords: Ethiopia; HIV; Stigma; discrimination.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

References

    1. National guidelines for comprehensive HIV prevention care and treatment, Ethiopia, MOH. (2017).
    1. Arrey, A. E., Bilsen, J., Lacor, P., & Deschepper, R. (2017). Perceptions of stigma and discrimination in health care settings towards sub-Saharan African migrant women living with HIV/AIDS in Belgium: A qualitative study. Journal of Biosocial Science, 49(5), 578–596. - PubMed
    1. Asamoah, C. K., Asamoah, B. O., & Agardh, A. (2017). A generation at risk: A cross-sectional study on HIV/AIDS knowledge, exposure to mass media, and stigmatizing behaviors among young women aged 15-24 years in Ghana. Global Health Action, 10(1), 1331538. doi:10.1080/16549716.2017.1331538 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Batey, D. S., Whitfield, S., Mulla, M., Stringer, K. L., Durojaiye, M., McCormick, L., … Turan, J. M. (2016). Adaptation and implementation of an intervention to reduce HIV-related stigma among healthcare workers in the United States: Piloting of the FRESH workshop. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 30(11), 519–527. doi:10.1089/apc.2016.0223 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Central Statistical Agency (CSA) [Ethiopia], & ICF . (2016). Ethiopia demographic and health survey (EDHS).

MeSH terms