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Concern about HIV and AIDS among older people in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya

Concern about HIV and AIDS among older people in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya
Concern about HIV and AIDS among older people in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya
The article explores the way that social networks and personal experiences affect perceived HIV-related concerns among people aged 50 years or older living in a low resource neighborhood with high HIV prevalence in Nairobi, Kenya. Multiple logistic regression is used to model the association between the reporting of an HIV-related concern and individual-level characteristics, personal experiences, and social interaction. The main concerns regarding HIV reported by older people in the study included caring for orphaned children (65%), caring for people with AIDS (48%), and losing material and social support from adult children (36%). Interestingly, 38% of respondents voiced concerns about HIV infection among older people. Respondents who had been individually affected by HIV and AIDS, who were part of a wide social network, or who participated in community activities were frequently more likely to report a concern. The findings highlight the significance of the role of social interaction and social networks in the diffusion of information and knowledge. These findings have implications for HIV and AIDS policy and programs, highlighting the potential for social networks and community-level interventions to educate and increase awareness about HIV and AIDS among older people. Community leaders can make good peer educators and communication agents for HIV/AIDS campaigns. Additionally, the recognized high level of personal vulnerability to HIV infection among older people suggests the need for targeted sexual behavior change programs among this often neglected group.
hiv/aids, older people, social interaction, sub-saharan africa, urban
0272-4332
Chepngeno-Langat, Gloria
4a386fed-03ca-4791-827a-ec7a7950530c
Falkingham, Jane
8df36615-1547-4a6d-ad55-aa9496e85519
Madise, Nyovani
2ea2fbcc-50da-4696-a0a5-2fe01db63d8c
Evandrou, Maria
cd2210ea-9625-44d7-b0f4-fc0721a25d28
Chepngeno-Langat, Gloria
4a386fed-03ca-4791-827a-ec7a7950530c
Falkingham, Jane
8df36615-1547-4a6d-ad55-aa9496e85519
Madise, Nyovani
2ea2fbcc-50da-4696-a0a5-2fe01db63d8c
Evandrou, Maria
cd2210ea-9625-44d7-b0f4-fc0721a25d28

Chepngeno-Langat, Gloria, Falkingham, Jane, Madise, Nyovani and Evandrou, Maria (2012) Concern about HIV and AIDS among older people in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Risk Analysis. (doi:10.1111/j.1539-6924.2011.01765.x).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The article explores the way that social networks and personal experiences affect perceived HIV-related concerns among people aged 50 years or older living in a low resource neighborhood with high HIV prevalence in Nairobi, Kenya. Multiple logistic regression is used to model the association between the reporting of an HIV-related concern and individual-level characteristics, personal experiences, and social interaction. The main concerns regarding HIV reported by older people in the study included caring for orphaned children (65%), caring for people with AIDS (48%), and losing material and social support from adult children (36%). Interestingly, 38% of respondents voiced concerns about HIV infection among older people. Respondents who had been individually affected by HIV and AIDS, who were part of a wide social network, or who participated in community activities were frequently more likely to report a concern. The findings highlight the significance of the role of social interaction and social networks in the diffusion of information and knowledge. These findings have implications for HIV and AIDS policy and programs, highlighting the potential for social networks and community-level interventions to educate and increase awareness about HIV and AIDS among older people. Community leaders can make good peer educators and communication agents for HIV/AIDS campaigns. Additionally, the recognized high level of personal vulnerability to HIV infection among older people suggests the need for targeted sexual behavior change programs among this often neglected group.

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 10 February 2012
Keywords: hiv/aids, older people, social interaction, sub-saharan africa, urban
Organisations: Gerontology

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 210924
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/210924
ISSN: 0272-4332
PURE UUID: dcbec15f-0ebc-434b-ae55-0d04e9692e5b
ORCID for Gloria Chepngeno-Langat: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6782-363X
ORCID for Jane Falkingham: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7135-5875
ORCID for Nyovani Madise: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2813-5295
ORCID for Maria Evandrou: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2115-9358

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 13 Feb 2012 14:47
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:24

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Contributors

Author: Gloria Chepngeno-Langat ORCID iD
Author: Jane Falkingham ORCID iD
Author: Nyovani Madise ORCID iD
Author: Maria Evandrou ORCID iD

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