“But I Gathered My Courage”: HIV Self-Testing as a Pathway of Empowerment Among Ugandan Female Sex Workers
Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: HIV self-testing (HIVST) increases HIV testing in diverse populations, but little is known about the experiences of individuals who self-test. We used a five-step framework approach to analyze 62 qualitative interviews with 33 female sex workers (FSWs) participating in an HIVST trial in urban Uganda. Notions of empowerment emerged from the data, and findings were interpreted based on Kabeer's empowerment framework of resources, agency, and achievements. We found that access to HIVST bolstered empowerment because it increased participant's time and money (resources), control of testing circumstances and status disclosure (agency), and sense of competency (achievements). In addition, we found that knowledge of HIV status empowered participants to better control HIV-related behaviors (agency) and recognize a new sense of self (achievements). This suggests that the availability of HIVST can facilitate feelings of empowerment, meriting a higher awareness for benefits outside of linkage to HIV treatment and prevention services.
Source: Qualitative Health Research
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung, Wellcome Trust, European Commission, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fogarty International Center, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Awards: G1039545488, G1083848468, G1580432941, G1645044777, HIV self-testing to improve the efficiency of PrEP delivery, G2788578401, G2937650005, G3488003868, G4275364336, Causal Pathways to population health impact of HIV antiretroviral treatment, G5265799764, New Methods for the design and evaluation of large HIV prevention interventions, G7526156161, G7854112961, Peer PrEP referral + HIV self-test for PrEP initiation among young Kenyan women, Can HIV Hot-Spots be eradicated? An intervention to decrease HIV transmission to young women in rural KwaZulu-Natal South Africa, HIS : Training Tanzanian Researchers for HIV/AIDS Implementation Science (Renewal), HIV and Other Infectious Consequences of Substance Use, Brown University Community and Clinical Research Training Program
OpenAlex ID: W3118751872