Perceptions and attitude of the community members towards the uptake of home based counselling and testing in Ilala district

Abstract

Background Although home based counseling and testing has the potential of reaching many Tanzanians through bringing the services to their homes, little is known regarding the perception and attitude of the community members towards being counseled and tested in their home environment. Insufficient data exist to recommend largescale implementation of home-based HIV testing in the country. Objective To determine the perception and attitude of the community members towards the uptake of home based counseling and testing services in Ilala municipal, Dar es Salaam. Methodology The study employed a cross-sectional Descriptive design using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. A multistage random sampling was used whereby 5 out of 22 wards were randomly selected. Then three streets in each of the five wards were randomly selected, from which a total sample of 384 respondents were recruited. Purposeful sampling technique was used to recruit Focus group discussion participants. Quantitative data were collected through a structured questionnaire and qualitative data were collected using focus group discussions. Results Among the respondents of the study, only 24.2% had ever heard of HBCT services and 21.6% were aware of the existing HIV and AIDS Act.However, more than half of the respondents (58%) know their rights as long as counseling and testing is concerned. Regarding attitude of the respondents on the uptake of HBCT services, 200 (52.1%) indicated positive attitudes towards HBCT approach for provision of HTC services. Moreover, focus group discussion (FGD) participants of the respondents expressed perceived barriers in receiving counseling and testing services in their homes including fear of positive results, unavailable time to be counseled and tested at home and concerns about confidentiality. Conclusion and recommendations Generally, the results of this study have shown that community members of Ilala district have a positive attitude toward the uptake of home based counseling and testing. This is a good sign with respect to implementation of HBCT but perceived barriers should be addressed in the plan for roll out. Furthermore, community sensitization should be an integral component of HBCT rollout.