Health seeking behaviour and accessing the art among HIV positive adults in Kweneng district, Botswana, Africa

Introduction: Botswana has an estimated population of 1.7 million which is sparsely distributed in a vast semi-arid land of about 582 000 km² (MFDP, 2003). More than 40 % of the population live in rural areas. Access to antiretroviral treatment poses a challenge to many developing countries including Botswana. Many factors have been seen to influence people’s ability to access care. These include personal, social, cultural, institutional and so on. The aim of the main study was to investigate personal and institutional factors determining access to ART in HIV+ adults. Objectives of the study: The objectives of the study was to describe health seeking behaviours of HIV positive adults and; institutional/health system factors determining access to ART. Methodology: This was a cross sectional descriptive study. Data was collected from eight three (83) randomly selected HIV positive adult patients registered and receiving antiretroviral treatment  in Scottish Livingstone Hospital using an interview administered semi structured questionnaire.  Results: Health seeking behaviours of PLWA remain a concern. About 22% of the participants reported feeling unwell for more than 1 year before getting HIV test and 65% reported feeling sick when they went for testing.  The highest proportion had CD4 count of 150 or less. Common difficulties experienced while accessing services were transport and waiting time. Conclusion: Difficulties experienced in accessing treatment in particular transportation and travel costs demand that significant efforts should be placed on rolling out ARV services to local clinics.
Keywords: ART, access, health seeking behaviour, HIV positive adults, Kweneng district, Botswana