No Association Found Between Traditional Healer Use and Delayed Antiretroviral Initiation in Rural Uganda
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Date
2013
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AIDS and Behavior
Abstract
Traditional healer and/or spiritual counselor (TH/SC) use has been associated with delays in HIV testing. We examined HIV-infected individuals in southwestern Uganda to test the hypothesis that TH/SC use was also associated with lower CD4 counts at antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation. Approximately 450 individuals initiating ART through an HIV/AIDS clinic at the Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) were recruited to participate. Patients were predominantly female, ranged in age from 18 to 75, and had a median CD4 count of 130. TH/SC use was not associated with lower CD4 cell count, but age and quality-of-life physical health summary score were associated with CD4 cell count at initiation while asset index was negatively associated with CD4 count at ART initiation. These findings suggest that TH/SC use does not delay initiation of ART.
Description
Keywords
HIV/AIDS; traditional healer; spiritual counselor; late presentation; Uganda
Citation
Horwitz, R. H., Tsai, A. C., Maling, S., Bajunirwe, F., Haberer, J. E., Emenyonu, N., ... & Bangsberg, D. R. (2013). No association found between traditional healer use and delayed antiretroviral initiation in rural Uganda. AIDS and Behavior, 17(1), 260-265.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-011-0132-7