Social Stigma Related to COVID-19 Disease Described by Primary and Secondary School Teachers and Adolescents Living With HIV in Western Kenya
Introduction: Understanding community members' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus and the prevalence of associated stigma are critical steps for increasing accurate public health knowledge, encouraging uptake of preventative or mitigating health behaviors, and ul...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.757267/full |
| _version_ | 1798034764206178304 |
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| author | Ashley Chory Winstone Nyandiko Winstone Nyandiko Celestine Ashimosi Josephine Aluoch Roxanne Martin Whitney Biegon Dennis Munyoro Edith Apondi Edith Apondi Rachel Vreeman Rachel Vreeman |
| author_facet | Ashley Chory Winstone Nyandiko Winstone Nyandiko Celestine Ashimosi Josephine Aluoch Roxanne Martin Whitney Biegon Dennis Munyoro Edith Apondi Edith Apondi Rachel Vreeman Rachel Vreeman |
| author_sort | Ashley Chory |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Understanding community members' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus and the prevalence of associated stigma are critical steps for increasing accurate public health knowledge, encouraging uptake of preventative or mitigating health behaviors, and ultimately bringing the COVID-19 pandemic under control.Methods: We conducted a one-time, phone-based assessment to assess the presence of perceived COVID-19 community stigma reported by Kenyan primary and secondary school teachers, as well as adolescents living with HIV. Participants were previously enrolled in an ongoing, cluster-randomized trial to evaluate the impact of multi-media teacher training on teachers' negative attitudes and beliefs around HIV. The SAFI Stigma Questionnaire, a validated tool to assess HIV-related stigma in this setting, was adapted to ask questions regarding the stigma and discrimination experienced or perceived during the COVID-19 pandemic.Results: We enrolled 330 participants in this study, including 311 primary and secondary teachers (56% female, average age 36 years) and 19 adolescents living with HIV (57.89% female, average age 16.37 years). None of the adolescent participants reported witnessing or experiencing discrimination related to COVID-19, nor did they report losing financial and/or social support. In contrast, the teacher participants reported prominent social stigma experiences of various levels and related to COVID-19. Teachers in the intervention group, who had completed the multi-media training on HIV-related stigma, were significantly less likely to think that the community viewed COVID-19 as a dirty or shameful disease, and less likely to feel it was important to keep their COVID-19 infection a secret, compared to the teacher control group.Conclusion: These findings suggest that COVID-19-related stigma may be prevalent in western Kenya and that interventions to reduce community-level stigma for HIV may also have a protective impact on other stigmatized infectious diseases such as COVID-19. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T20:48:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-11d8815399f8452eb5d22f9813392276 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T20:48:52Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-11d8815399f8452eb5d22f98133922762022-12-22T04:03:55ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652021-11-01910.3389/fpubh.2021.757267757267Social Stigma Related to COVID-19 Disease Described by Primary and Secondary School Teachers and Adolescents Living With HIV in Western KenyaAshley Chory0Winstone Nyandiko1Winstone Nyandiko2Celestine Ashimosi3Josephine Aluoch4Roxanne Martin5Whitney Biegon6Dennis Munyoro7Edith Apondi8Edith Apondi9Rachel Vreeman10Rachel Vreeman11Department of Global Health and Health System Design, Arnhold Institute for Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Child Health and Paediatrics, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Moi University, Eldoret, KenyaAcademic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), Eldoret, KenyaAcademic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), Eldoret, KenyaAcademic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), Eldoret, KenyaDepartment of Global Health and Health System Design, Arnhold Institute for Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United StatesAcademic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), Eldoret, KenyaAcademic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), Eldoret, KenyaAcademic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), Eldoret, KenyaMoi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret, KenyaDepartment of Global Health and Health System Design, Arnhold Institute for Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United StatesAcademic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), Eldoret, KenyaIntroduction: Understanding community members' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus and the prevalence of associated stigma are critical steps for increasing accurate public health knowledge, encouraging uptake of preventative or mitigating health behaviors, and ultimately bringing the COVID-19 pandemic under control.Methods: We conducted a one-time, phone-based assessment to assess the presence of perceived COVID-19 community stigma reported by Kenyan primary and secondary school teachers, as well as adolescents living with HIV. Participants were previously enrolled in an ongoing, cluster-randomized trial to evaluate the impact of multi-media teacher training on teachers' negative attitudes and beliefs around HIV. The SAFI Stigma Questionnaire, a validated tool to assess HIV-related stigma in this setting, was adapted to ask questions regarding the stigma and discrimination experienced or perceived during the COVID-19 pandemic.Results: We enrolled 330 participants in this study, including 311 primary and secondary teachers (56% female, average age 36 years) and 19 adolescents living with HIV (57.89% female, average age 16.37 years). None of the adolescent participants reported witnessing or experiencing discrimination related to COVID-19, nor did they report losing financial and/or social support. In contrast, the teacher participants reported prominent social stigma experiences of various levels and related to COVID-19. Teachers in the intervention group, who had completed the multi-media training on HIV-related stigma, were significantly less likely to think that the community viewed COVID-19 as a dirty or shameful disease, and less likely to feel it was important to keep their COVID-19 infection a secret, compared to the teacher control group.Conclusion: These findings suggest that COVID-19-related stigma may be prevalent in western Kenya and that interventions to reduce community-level stigma for HIV may also have a protective impact on other stigmatized infectious diseases such as COVID-19.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.757267/fullCOVID-19stigmateachersHIVKenya |
| spellingShingle | Ashley Chory Winstone Nyandiko Winstone Nyandiko Celestine Ashimosi Josephine Aluoch Roxanne Martin Whitney Biegon Dennis Munyoro Edith Apondi Edith Apondi Rachel Vreeman Rachel Vreeman Social Stigma Related to COVID-19 Disease Described by Primary and Secondary School Teachers and Adolescents Living With HIV in Western Kenya Frontiers in Public Health COVID-19 stigma teachers HIV Kenya |
| title | Social Stigma Related to COVID-19 Disease Described by Primary and Secondary School Teachers and Adolescents Living With HIV in Western Kenya |
| title_full | Social Stigma Related to COVID-19 Disease Described by Primary and Secondary School Teachers and Adolescents Living With HIV in Western Kenya |
| title_fullStr | Social Stigma Related to COVID-19 Disease Described by Primary and Secondary School Teachers and Adolescents Living With HIV in Western Kenya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social Stigma Related to COVID-19 Disease Described by Primary and Secondary School Teachers and Adolescents Living With HIV in Western Kenya |
| title_short | Social Stigma Related to COVID-19 Disease Described by Primary and Secondary School Teachers and Adolescents Living With HIV in Western Kenya |
| title_sort | social stigma related to covid 19 disease described by primary and secondary school teachers and adolescents living with hiv in western kenya |
| topic | COVID-19 stigma teachers HIV Kenya |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.757267/full |
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