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This is a trans-disciplinary study focusing on PLHA and people living close to them (PLC): partner, child, close friend, family member, spiritual leader and community member. The aim of this study was to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the impact of a Comprehensive Community-based HIV Stigma Reduction and Wellness Enhancement Intervention in both a rural and urban setting. Knowledge, skills and expertise of various team members were pooled to find the best innovative approach to HIV stigma reduction and wellness enhancement.
Methods:
A mixed method embedded design was followed. A quantitative single-system design with a pre-test and four repetitive three monthly post-test measures was combined with a holistic multiple case study. The case study captured the Comprehensive Community-based HIV-Stigma Reduction and Wellness Enhancement Intervention with PLHA and PLC. At the onset of the contact with participants a quantitative pre-test and qualitative in-depth interview were conducted. The first post-test also combined quantitative measures and qualitative in-depth interviews. Purposive voluntary sampling was conducted for the initial identification of PLHA. This was followed by snow ball sampling for the identification of the PLC. The qualitative data has been analysed using open coding and case study documentation. The quantitative data has been analysed using SPSS version 15 and doing descriptive statistics.
Results:
During this presentation experiences are shared on planning and implementing such a comprehensive and innovative study.
Conclusion:
Using a trans-disciplinary mixed method approach to such a complex problem helped to pool multiple sources of knowledge and skills and found an innovative and effective approach to address HIV stigma through a comprehensive community-based HIV stigma reduction and wellness enhancement intervention.