Knowledge, Stigma, and Behavioral Outcomes among Antiretroviral Therapy Patients Exposed to Nalamdana's Radio and Theater Program in Tamil Nadu, India

• Published in: AIDS education and prevention 2011-08, Vol.23 (4), p.351-366
• Main Authors: Nambiar, Devaki, Ramakrishnan, Vimala, Kumar, Paresh, Varma, Rajeev, Balaji, Nithya, Rajendran, Jeeva, Jhona, Loretta, Chandrasekar, Chokkalingam, Gere, David
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS); Adult; Advocacy; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; AIDS/HIV; Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Antiretroviral agents; Antiretroviral drugs; Antiviral agents; At Risk Persons; Behavioral Sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Communication (Thought Transfer); Contraception; Correlation; Cross-Sectional Studies; Drama; Dravidian Languages; Drug Therapy; Drug Therapy, Combination - psychology; Drug Use; Female; Foreign Countries; General aspects; Health Behavior; Health Education; Health Education - methods; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; HIV; HIV Infections - drug therapy; HIV Infections - psychology; Hospitals; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human viral diseases; Humans; India; Infectious diseases; Knowledge Level; Literature, Modern; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; NGOs; Nongovernmental Organizations; Outcomes of Treatment; Patients; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Physician Patient Relationship; Physicians; Planification. Prevention (methods). Intervention. Evaluation; Printed Materials; Programming; Public Health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Radio; Regression Analysis; Risk-Taking; Sexual Behavior; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Social Bias; Social Stigma; Theater Arts; Theaters; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0899-9546; 1943-2755
• DOI: 10.1521/aeap.2011.23.4.351

Arts-based programs have improved HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior in general and at-risk populations. With HIV transformed into a chronic condition, this study compares patients at consecutive stages of receiving antiretroviral treatment, coinciding with exposure to a radio-and-theater-based educational program (unexposed [N = 120], just exposed [N = 77], Exposed a month ago [N = 60]). Exposure was associated with significantly higher HIV-related knowledge (15-20%, all p less than 0.01), lower levels of stigma (2-7% lower, all p less than 0.10), and over four times the adjusted odds of asking doctors questions about HIV (p = 0.07). Higher dose of exposure was associated with lower felt stigma (28% reduction per message recalled), greater odds of consistent condom use (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.12, p = 0.01), doctor-patient communication (AOR: 1.20, p = 0.003), peer advice-giving (AOR: 1.18, p = 0.03) and HIV-related advocacy (AOR: 2.35, p = 0.07). Similar partnerships between arts-based nongovernmental organizations and government hospitals may improve patient outcomes in HIV treatment settings.