Marseille 2007
| Abstract #297 - Gender, perceptions and experience of antiretroviral treatment in Cameroon | ||||
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Session: 39.4: Treatment (Parallel) on Tuesday @ 14.00-16.00 in HC Chaired by Robin Hamilton, Raffaele Visintini Authors: Presenting Author: Ms Djetcha Sophie - CReCSS, France |
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| Additional Authors: | ||||
| Aim: The perceptions and experiences of antiretroviral treatments have been described and analysed in developed countries, but few studies have been held on this topic in developing countries. Most studies about ART in resource-poor settings have considered access or adherence issues. It is now possible to describe and analyse patients experiences, and to study gender differences, in some African programs that started several years ago. | ||||
| Method / Issue: A study was held among 20 patients and 12 health workers in two hospitals in Yaounde, Cameroon. Semi-structured interviews were done with patients on ART for more than three years. These patients belong to an observational cohort within National ART Access Program, and they had already been interviewed several times about their treatment. | ||||
| Results / Comments: Most patients feel the importance of the benefits due to ART, and practical obstacles to adherence do not seem to be major with a twice-daily one-pill regimen. Differences between men and women are important regarding perceptions of side-effects and socialization of treatment. Most results may be summarized as follows. According to patients and health care professionals, lipodystrophy is met only amongst women and may be a cause for them to refuse starting treatment, or to stop it. As many men hide their treatment and do not speak about it to their family, most women involve some significant other in treatment management. Moreover, women speak about their treatment with their medical doctor, when men just ask them a few questions at prescription renewal. Health workers also describe gender differences in patients experience of treatment. According to them, men are more hesitant than women to take their treatment whereas women are naturally more receptives ; men dont accept their disease, treatment and care. | ||||
| Discussion: Data about gender differences in perceptions of treatment effects will be discussed. These results will be interpreted within local perceptions of the body, uses of medicines and social relationships between patients and health professionals. | ||||
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