The integration of water, sanitation and hygiene services into the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief: A qualitative study

Abstract

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions have been associated with improving the health of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV). WASH is increasingly integrated into the HIV sector and is now considered a key component of the transition from an emergency response to a better incorporated and coordinated AIDS response. However, limited research exists on integration efforts. This qualitative research study aims to address the limited body of research on WASH integration into HIV programmes through examining the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). PEPFAR is the US government's initiative to combat AIDS in the most afflicted countries. This study analyses the perceptions of people who have worked or are working on WASH integration into PEPFAR, highlighting their views on accomplishments, challenges and areas for improvement. It concludes with recommendations for moving forward.

Building a middle-range theory of free public healthcare seeking in sub-Saharan Africa: a realist review

“…This mechanism is identified in DR2-1, DR2-2 and DR2-3, and implicit in DR1-8 and DR1-11. It shapes users’ perceptions of the health system, quality of care and providers’ professionalism ( Gilson 2005 ; Goudge and Gilson 2005 ; Tibandebage and Mackintosh; 2005 ; Ostergaard 2015 ). Users’ trust in providers, based on their perceptions of those providers’ qualifications and professionalism and on past interactions, is thus linked with free public healthcare seeking.…”

Health care users’ knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of HIV self-testing at selected gateway clinics at eThekwini district, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa

“…Majority of HCU (81.2%) reported that HIVST could assist in the uptake of HIV testing in both general and key populations (Bavinton et al., 2013 ; Brown, Folayan, Imosili, Durueke, & Amuamuziam, 2014 ; Han et al., 2014 ; Van Dyk, 2013 ; Wood, Ballenger, & Stekler, 2014 ). The increased uptake of HIV testing could lead to more people getting ARVs before becoming sicker (Jahanbakhsh, Mostafavi, & Haghdoost, 2015 ; Nkuna & Nyazema, 2016 ; WHO, 2016 ).…”

Material deprivation and unemployment affect coercive sex among young people in the urban slums of Blantyre, Malawi: A multi-level approach

“…To explain why material deprivation, rather than measures of SES, is more important for explaining young women׳s coercive sex, it should be noted that deprivation of material resources is found to be a more proximate indicator of risk among women than income, education, and wealth ( Cramm et al, 2012; Greif, 2012; Thomas et al, 2011; Vearey et al, 2010 ). Indeed in Malawi, narratives from focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with young people residing in urban slums add strength to the argument that whilst measures of SES have a positive influence on risk, it is essential to consider deprivation of material resources ( Kamndaya et al, 2015 ). Additionally, our finding that material deprivation might be an important factor for young women, but not for men, conveys the notion that disadvantaged households in urban slums can exacerbate underlying gender-based power and socio-economic disparities, with young women subject to intensive gender-based sexual violence ( Misganaw and Worku, 2013 ).…”

“…An estimated 60% of the urban population in Blantyre reside in urban slums where many young people may have no education or job skills ( Mughogho and Kosamu, 2012; UN-Habitat, 2011 ). Given their limited resources and lack of opportunities, some young people engage in desperate survival strategies – such as exchanging sex for basic necessities including access to housing, food and healthcare ( Kamndaya et al, 2015; Mandalazi et al, 2013 ). Blantyre City started with developments in three commercial centers – Blantyre, Mandala and Limbe – in 1876 by the Church of Scotland.…”