The impact of a buddy system on the self-care behaviours of women living with HIV/AIDS in Botswana

A needs assessment done among HIV-positive (HIV+ve) people in Botswana in 2000 indicated that these people required social support. Based on these results, a buddy system for and by HIV+ve women was instituted in Botswana during 2002. This study examined the impact of the buddy system on the self-care behaviours of 116 HIV+ve women volunteers who used the services of COCEPWA (Coping Centre for People with Aids) during 2002. The convenience sample comprised 39 buddies who completed the buddy training programme, 39 patients assigned to the 39 buddies and 38 controls who lived in areas where the buddy programme did not operate. The results indicate that HIV+ve patients who had buddies showed improved self-care behaviours from April 2002 until November 2002 compared to the controls. These self-care behaviours encompassed informing a number of other people about their HIV+ve status, compliance with tuberculosis treatment, CD4 quantification and adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Although the differences were not always statistically significant, the patients showed greater improvements than the controls in all self-care behaviours. Thus the buddy system might have assisted and empowered the patients to achieve higher levels of self-care behaviours than the controls. Opsomming ’n Behoeftebepaling wat in 2000 van MIV-positiewe (MIV+we) persone in Botswana gedoen is, het getoon dat hierdie mense sosiale ondersteuning nodig gehad het. Gebaseer op hierdie bevindinge is ’n “buddy”-stelsel vir en deur MIV+we vroue gedurende 2002 in die land ingestel. Hierdie studie het die impak van die “buddy”-stelsel op die selfsorggedrag van 116 MIV+we vroulike vrywilligers ondersoek wat die dienste van COCEPWA (Coping Centre for People with AIDS) gedurende 2002 benut het. Die gerieflikheidsteekproef het uit 39 “buddies” bestaan wat die “buddy”-opleidingsprogram voltooi het, 39 pasiënte wat aan die 39 “buddies” toegewys is en 38 kontrolepatiënte wat in areas gewoon het waar die “buddy”-program nog nie in werking gestel is nie. Die bevindinge dui aan dat MIV+we pasiënte wat “buddies” gehad het verbeterde selfsorggedrag van April 2002 tot November 2002 getoon het, in vergelyking met die kontrolegroep. Selfsorggedrag is aangedui deur die aantal ander persone wat ingelig is omtrent die individu se MIV+we status, die nakoming van tuberkulosebehandeling, CD4-bepalings en die nakoming van antiretrovirale behandeling. Alhoewel die verskille nie altyd statisties beduidend was nie, het die pasiënte groter verbeteringe getoon in vergelyking met die kontrolegroep in alle aspekte van selfsorggedrag. Dus is dit moontlik dat die “buddy”-stelsel die pasiënte ondersteun en bemagtig het, wat hulle in staat gestel het om ’n groter mate van selfsorggedrag te bereik as die kontrolegroep