NIMH Project Accept (HPTN 043): results from in-depth interviews with a longitudinal cohort of community members
Citation: Maman S, van Rooyen H, Stankard P, Chingono A, Muravha T, Ntogwisangu J, Phakathi Z, Srirak N, F Morin S; NIMH Project Accept (HPTN 043) study team. NIMH Project Accept (HPTN 043): results from in-depth interviews with a longitudinal cohort of community members. PLoS One. 2014 Jan 29;9(1):e87091. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087091. eCollection 2014. 10.1371/journal.pone.0087091. eCollection 2014. PMID: 24489841; PMCID: PMC3906114
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INTRODUCTION:
NIMH Project Accept (HPTN 043) is a community- randomized trial to test the safety and efficacy of a community-level intervention designed to increase testing and lower HIV incidence in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Thailand. The evaluation design included a longitudinal study with community members to assess attitudinal and behavioral changes in study outcomes including HIV testing norms, HIV-related discussions, and HIV-related stigma.
METHODS:
A cohort of 657 individuals across all sites was selected to participate in a qualitative study that involved 4 interviews during the study period. Baseline and 30-month data were summarized according to each outcome, and a qualitative assessment of changes was made at the community level over time.
RESULTS:
Members from intervention communities described fewer barriers and greater motivation for testing than those from comparison communities. HIV-related discussions in intervention communities were more grounded in personal testing experiences. A change in HIV-related stigma over time was most pronounced in Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Participants in the intervention communities from these two sites attributed community-level changes in attitudes to project specific activities.
DISCUSSION:
The Project Accept intervention was associated with more favorable social norms regarding HIV testing, more personal content in HIV discussions in all study sites, and qualitative changes in HIV-related stigma in two of five sites.