TY - JOUR
T1 - How to “Live a Good Life”
T2 - Aging and HIV Testing in Rural South Africa
AU - Schatz, Enid
AU - Houle, Brian
AU - Mojola, Sanyu A.
AU - Angotti, Nicole
AU - Williams, Jill
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: We are grateful for funding support from the U.S. National Institute on Aging—R01 AG049634 HIV after 40 in rural South Africa: Aging in the Context of an HIV Epidemic (PI Sanyu Mojola) and R24 AG032112-05 Partnership for Social Science AIDS Research in South Africa’s Era of ART Rollout (PI Jane Menken); the University of Colorado, Innovative Seed Grant HIV after 40 in rural South Africa (PI Sanyu Mojola); and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation 2009-4060 African Population Research and Training Program (PI Jane Menken). The MRC/Wits Agincourt Unit is supported by the South African Medical Research Council and the University of the Witwatersrand, as well as the Wellcome Trust, UK (Grants 058893/Z/99/A, 069683/Z/02/Z, and 085477/B/08/Z— PI Stephen Tollman). This work has also benefited from research, administrative, and computing support from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development–funded University of Colorado Population Center (P2C HD066613).
Funding Information:
We thank all the respondents who participated in this study. We also thank the Izindaba za Badala field team as well as the people of Agincourt for their long involvement with the Agincourt Health and socio-Demographic Surveillance Site study. The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: We are grateful for funding support from the U.S. National Institute on Aging—R01 AG049634 HIV after 40 in rural South Africa: Aging in the Context of an HIV Epidemic (PI Sanyu Mojola) and R24 AG032112-05 Partnership for Social Science AIDS Research in South Africa’s Era of ART Rollout (PI Jane Menken); the University of Colorado, Innovative Seed Grant HIV after 40 in rural South Africa (PI Sanyu Mojola); and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation 2009-4060 African Population Research and Training Program (PI Jane Menken). The MRC/Wits Agincourt Unit is supported by the South African Medical Research Council and the University of the Witwatersrand, as well as the Wellcome Trust, UK (Grants 058893/Z/99/A, 069683/Z/02/Z, and 085477/B/08/Z—PI Stephen Tollman). This work has also benefited from research, administrative, and computing support from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development–funded University of Colorado Population Center (P2C HD066613).
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2018.
PY - 2019/4/1
Y1 - 2019/4/1
N2 - Objective: The African HIV epidemic is aging, yet HIV testing behavior studies either exclude older persons or include too few to say much about age differences. Method: Strategically combining focus group interviews (participants in 40s/50s/60s-plus age groups) and survey data from rural South Africa (where HIV prevalence peaks in the late 30s, but continues to be over 10% into the late 60s), we examine gender and life course variation, motivations, and barriers in HIV testing. Results: We find significant gender differences—Women test at higher rates at younger ages, men at older ages. Our qualitative data not only highlight recognition of testing importance but also suggest gendered motivations and perceptions of testing. Men and women report similar barriers, however, including fear of finding out their (positive) HIV status, limited confidentiality, and partner nondisclosure. Discussion: We conclude with recommendations to increase HIV testing uptake among older adults including home testing, couples testing, and HIV testing concurrently with noncommunicable diseases.
AB - Objective: The African HIV epidemic is aging, yet HIV testing behavior studies either exclude older persons or include too few to say much about age differences. Method: Strategically combining focus group interviews (participants in 40s/50s/60s-plus age groups) and survey data from rural South Africa (where HIV prevalence peaks in the late 30s, but continues to be over 10% into the late 60s), we examine gender and life course variation, motivations, and barriers in HIV testing. Results: We find significant gender differences—Women test at higher rates at younger ages, men at older ages. Our qualitative data not only highlight recognition of testing importance but also suggest gendered motivations and perceptions of testing. Men and women report similar barriers, however, including fear of finding out their (positive) HIV status, limited confidentiality, and partner nondisclosure. Discussion: We conclude with recommendations to increase HIV testing uptake among older adults including home testing, couples testing, and HIV testing concurrently with noncommunicable diseases.
KW - HIV prevention policy
KW - HIV testing
KW - South Africa
KW - aging
KW - focus groups
KW - mixed methods
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U2 - 10.1177/0898264317751945
DO - 10.1177/0898264317751945
M3 - Article
C2 - 29318924
AN - SCOPUS:85053763340
SN - 0898-2643
VL - 31
SP - 709
EP - 732
JO - Journal of Aging and Health
JF - Journal of Aging and Health
IS - 4
ER -