Perceptions of church members regarding congregants on antiretroviral therapy in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Nkateko Chauke, Tshiamo Ramalepa and Robert Netangaheni
Additional contact information
Nkateko Chauke: University of South Africa
Tshiamo Ramalepa: Nursing Department, School of Healthcare Sciences,Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University
Robert Netangaheni: University of South Africa

International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), 2024, vol. 13, issue 4, 542-550

Abstract: The purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions of church members regarding congregants who are on antiretroviral therapy in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The study was conducted in churches of Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The study utilised an exploratory, descriptive, qualitative research design. The study focused on church members in Vhembe District of Limpopo Province. A non-probability purposive sampling method was used to select church members for participation. The sample size was 30 church members, determined by saturation of data. Semi-structured interviews were utilised to collect data, and data was analysed using Tech's eight steps of the coding process, through the content analysis method. The study yielded four themes, namely, church members’ understanding of antiretroviral therapy, attitudes of church leaders towards congregants on antiretroviral therapy, the roles, and responsibilities of church leaders towards congregants on antiretroviral therapy and, psychosocial challenges faced by congregants on antiretroviral therapy. Church members understood what antiretroviral therapy is used for, and some were specific about its impact in suppressing the viral load and improving the CD4 count. However, some church leaders were reported to be negative towards congregants on ART. As much as church members knew about ART and its use, people living with HIV/AIDS were subjected to rejection, discrimination, and stigmatization and lacked general support in churches. HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns are necessary to impart to church members information that is readily available, appropriate, and effective. These campaigns could be delivered through workshops targeting church members, including both church leaders and congregants. Key Words:perceptions, church congregants, church members, HIV/AIDS, Antiretroviral therapy, Limpopo province

Date: 2024
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.ssbfnet.com/ojs/index.php/ijrbs/article/view/3327/2361 (application/pdf)
https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v13i4.3327 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rbs:ijbrss:v:13:y:2024:i:4:p:542-550

Access Statistics for this article

International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478) is currently edited by Prof.Dr.Umit Hacioglu

More articles in International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478) from Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance Editorial Office,Baris Mah. Enver Adakan Cd. No: 5/8, Beylikduzu, Istanbul, Turkey. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Umit Hacioglu ().