Ami R. Moore

Problems with HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment in Togo, West Africa: Professional caregivers' perspectives

This paper used accounts of professional caregivers to HIV/AIDS patients in Lomé, Togo, West Africa to explore the impacts of cultural, institutional and socio-economic factors in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Thirteen health professionals and 17 non-health professionals who work with people living with HIV/AIDS were interviewed in June and July 2002 in Lomé, Togo. The study found that, in Togo there are some cultural, socio-economic and institutional practices that put Togolese at risk of contracting HIV and complicate the care of those who become infected. People with HIV/ AIDS face socio-economic, emotional and psychological battles as they attempt to deal with their physical health and the social reactions to such a stigmatizing disease. Thus, in order to contain the spread of HIV/AIDS, people living with HIV/AIDS, family caregivers, traditional healers as well as the public must be educated about the importance of preventing the disease and how each group can help achieve success in its control. Interventions in prevention and care should be designed with an awareness of these structural factors that contribute to the spread of AIDS and compromise the quality of care given to those who become infected.

To disclose or not to disclose?: Lower class parents living with HIV/AIDS in Lomé, Togo

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the patterns of self‐disclosure of HIV/AIDS infection and reasons respondents did not disclose their serostatus to their children.Design/methodology/approach – Convenience sample of 151 people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Lome, Togo, was used. Semi‐structured interviews were administered.Findings – Unlike studies conducted in the USA, it was found that although all of the respondents had disclosed their status to HIV/AIDS service providers from whom they received help and support, they had low rates of disclosure to their significant others. For instance, only 12 per cent of the participants had disclosed to their mothers and 16 per cent had disclosed to their children. Additionally, reasons given by respondents for non‐disclosure of their infected status to their children were varied. Regardless of the age of the children, half of the parents believed that the children were either too young or were minors and should not know about their HIV infected st...

Types of Violence against Women and Factors Influencing Intimate Partner Violence in Togo (West Africa)

Violence against women has been recognized as an important social and human rights issue that affects all cultures and societies. Although this issue has been more frequently studied in high-income countries, such as the United States, the scholarly research of violence against women in Africa, especially West Africa, has been scarce. Using a representative sample, this study examined violence against women in Togo, particularly the types of violence that Togolese women endure, and factors that affect a Togolese woman’s chance of being victimized by her intimate partner. The findings indicated that Togolese women experienced different forms of violence. Also, some covariates at the individual level significantly affected a woman’s risk of experiencing intimate partner violence. Several policy recommendations have been made.

Stress, social support and depression in informal caregivers to people with HIV/AIDS in Lomé, Togo

Purpose – This study examined factors associated with depression in 125 informal caregivers to adults living with HIV/AIDS in Lome, Togo.Methodology – Each caregiver completed a questionnaire that assessed primary and secondary stressors, social support and depression. Most of the participants were women (78 per cent), married (53 per cent), and had been giving care to nuclear family members (63 per cent) for about 11 months. OLS regression was used to examine the association of primary and secondary stressors with self‐reported depression.Findings – The analysis showed that caregiving demand, role captivity, and job conflict were positively associated with self‐reported depression. This suggests that work‐related strains and role strains were associated with depression levels among caregivers in our sample.Research limitations/implications – The study is based on a small convenience sample of volunteers and this may limit the generalisability of the results.Practical implications – This knowledge can ben...

Earnings differentials among male African immigrants in the United States

This article analyses the earnings attainment of male African immigrants in the United States. Using OLS regression and data from the 1990 Census of Population and Housing, we identified the determinants of annual earnings attainment of male African immigrants and examined them by country of origin. We also assessed the impact of skill transferability via ability to speak English on such earnings. Results showed that the process of earnings attainment of African immigrants vary by country of origin. For example, while educational attainment is a significant predictor of annual earnings for only Kenyan and South African immigrants, duration of stay in the United States is significant for immigrants from Cape Verde. Overall, the pay‐offs of college education are higher for South African immigrants than it is for the other groups. Non‐Anglophone immigrants begin with a disadvantage relative to their English‐speaking counterparts. However, this disadvantage is eroded by the length of stay in the US, ability to speak English, and other job‐related characteristics.

Caring for a Loved One with Cancer: It Is My Job

This study investigated the experiences of caregivers of loved ones with cancer in Lomé, Togo. The authors developed a framework that captures the experiences of 17 caregivers. The framework explains the exploratory factors that influenced the lives of caregivers from the caregivers’ own perspectives. Findings showed that even though the caregivers experienced significant challenges that affected their lives and the lives of their families, because of cultural norms and expectations, they tried their best to overcome the challenges. Although some reported positive impacts on their family functioning, others reported negative impacts such as fragmentation of the family unit. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.

HIV/AIDS in West Africa: Analysis of professional caregivers in Lomé, Togo

Attempts to address the gap in literature on the experiences of HIV/AIDS care workers in Africa through studies of professional care givers in Lome, Togo. Uses a pilot study of 30 care givers and examines the roles, services and coping mechanisms of these individuals. Presents the demographics characteristics of the care givers and the type of services provided. Discusses how they cope with stress and their feeling regarding the prevention of HIV. Concludes they face enormous demands which may affect their own health and families. Suggests that a support network would be helpful.

Self-reported Health and Personal Social Networks of Older People Living with HIV/AIDS in Lomé, Togo

Personal social networks and their association with the health of older people have been explored, but there are few studies that examined the relationship between the general health of older people living with HIV/AIDS (OPLWHA) and their personal social networks. This exploratory study investigates the characteristics of personal networks among OPLWHA and the relationship between the self-rated health and personal social networks of OPLWHA in Lomé, Togo. Forty-nine OPLWHA were interviewed via an egocentric survey. We examined the composition and size of the networks of OPLWHA. Also, the correlation between networks and self-reported health was examined. Findings show that the OPLWHA had personal social networks that included three types of people: immediate kin, extended kin, and non-kin. Additionally, these networks varied by size. While the mean number of people in the smaller network (people from whom the OPLWHA can borrow an important sum of money) was less than one person (0.55), the mean number of people in the larger network was three (people with whom the OPLWHA enjoy socializing). Furthermore, only the network of people with whom OPLWHA enjoy socializing had a significant positive correlation on the self-rated health of OPLWHA. Consistent with prior research, we found that the mere existence of a network does not imply that the network has a positive correlation with the subject or that the network provides the social support needed to positively influence health. A study of the correlation between social network characteristics and health in the population of older people with HIV/AIDS is important as the number of OPLWHA continues to grow.

Beliefs and correlates of knowledge of cancer risk factors among people in Lomé, Togo (West Africa)

Knowledge of cancer risk factors has been shown to be an important step for cancer prevention. This study examines the beliefs and correlates of knowledge of cancer risk factors among people in Lomé, Togo and addresses the challenges for cancer education and prevention among Togolese. Data were obtained from 325 people about their beliefs and knowledge of cancer risk factors by means of a survey. Participants were first asked about their beliefs regarding risk factors of cancer and then were presented with a list of 10 established risk factors. They were then asked whether or not these 10 factors are cancer risk factors. We used binary logistic regression models in which one of the established risk factors was regressed on several independent variables to assess factors that affect knowledge of cancer risk factors among Togolese. Knowledge of cancer risk factors is very limited among study participants. With regard to the correlates that affected knowledge of risk factors of cancer, findings were rather surprising because very few sociodemographic characteristics affected knowledge of each cancer risk factor. In order for people in Togo to adopt healthy lifestyles and reduce their risks of cancer, cancer education is necessary. Awareness of cancer risk factors may lead to a positive behavioral change and eventually reduce the burden of cancer in Togo in general.

Sexual responses to living with HIV/AIDS in Lomé, Togo

A qualitative study of sexual behaviour among 88 people living with HIV was conducted in Lomé, Togo. Data were collected by means of open‐ended interviews. Three separate sexual‐behaviour patterns were identified: people who reported not having sex at all; people who reported using condoms consistently; and people who reported not using condoms at all or using them inconsistently. Reasons given to explain these behaviours were analysed. Findings reveal the need for different programmes and policy approaches to dealing with problems of HIV and AIDS in Lomé, Togo.