Misconceptions About HIV Infection in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo): A Case-Control Study on Knowledge, Attitudes & Practices

To evaluate the prevalence of HIV-related misconceptions in an outpatient centre of Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) and analyse the association between these beliefs and HIV infection.

A case-control study was carried out from December 2010 until June 2012. We assessed 1630 participants aged 15-49 attending a primary outpatient centre in Kinshasa: 762 HIV Voluntary Counselling and Testing attendees and 868 blood donors. A 59-item questionnaire about knowledge, attitudes and practice was administered during a face-to-face interview, followed by an HIV test. Cases and controls were respondents with a newly diagnosed HIV-positive or HIV-negative test, respectively. Unconditional logistic regression was used to analyse the association between misconceptions and HIV seropositivity.

274 cases and 1340 controls were recruited. Cases were more likely than controls to have

• a low socioeconomic status, 
• no education, 
• to be divorced/separated or widowed. 

An association was found between the following variables and HIV seropositivity: 

• having a poor HIV knowledge, 
• not knowing a virus is the cause of AIDS 
• and reporting more than three HIV-transmission-related misconceptions, such as
• thinking an HIV-positive person cannot look healthy 
• that HIV is transmitted 
• by sorcery, 
• God's punishment, 
• a kiss on the mouth, 
• mosquitoes, 
• coughs/sneezes 
• or under-cooked food.

Despite having access to healthcare services, there are still many people in Kinshasa that have HIV-related misconceptions that increase their HIV risk. Our findings underscore the need for a culturally adapted and gender-orientated basic HIV information into Congolese HIV prevention programmes.

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By: Carlos S1, Martínez-González MÁ2, Burgueño E3, López-Del Burgo C1, Ruíz-Canela M4, Ndarabu A5, Tshilolo L5, Tshiswaka P6, Labarga P7, de Irala J1.

• 1Preventive Medicine and Public Health Department, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain Institute for Culture and Society (ICS), Education of Affectivity and Human Sexuality, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
• 2Preventive Medicine and Public Health Department, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBER obn), Spanish Government (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain.
• 3Preventive Medicine and Public Health Department, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain Monkole Hospital, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
• 4Preventive Medicine and Public Health Department, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
• 5Monkole Hospital, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
• 6Institut Supérieur de Sciences Infirmières (ISSI), Monkole Hospital, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
• 7Infectious Diseases Service, Carlos III Hospital, Madrid, Spain.

  

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