The influence of attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge on health-seeking behaviors of adults living with HIV/AIDS (ALHA) in the Gambia

As of December 2007, 33.2 million people are living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. Over 22 5 million live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Approximately 7900 adults and children reside in the Gambia. People have conceptions about HIV/AIDS, which prevents them from seeking health care. These conceptions are supported by different beliefs within people's social context. Health-seeking behaviors are essential for early treatment interventions in the fight against HIV/AIDS. No study was found that examined the influence of beliefs on health-seeking behaviors among Gambian adults living with HIV/AIDS. The purpose of this research was to determine the influence of attitudes, spiritual beliefs, cultural beliefs, social beliefs, and knowledge on health-seeking behaviors among adults living with HIV/AIDS in the Gambia. Using power analysis a purposive sample of 93 Gambian adults ages from 21 to 65 years were included. The Theory of Planned Behavior by leek Ajzen provided conceptual background. The HAKABPQ instrument utilized was developed by the investigator. The reliability alpha assessment for the questionnaire was .94. The statistical hypotheses - H0 1: There is no relationship between attitudes and health-seeking behaviors of ALHA in the Gambia; H02: There is no relationship between spiritual beliefs and health-seeking behaviors of ALHA in the Gambia; H03: There is no relationship between cultural beliefs and health-seeking behaviors of ALHA in the Gambia; H04: There is no relationship between social beliefs and health-seeking behaviors of ALHA in the Gambia; and H05: There is no relationship between knowledge and health-seeking behaviors of ALHA in the Gambia, were tested using correlational and hierarchical regression analyses. Bivariate analyses computed on the five predictor variables demonstrated statistically significant moderate relationships with health-seeking behaviors and with each other at p ≤ .03. Additionally, 11% of the variance in health seeking behaviors was explained by all the variables together. However, attitudes significantly contributed to the variance, F (1, 90) = 4.865, p = .03. This study has significance in directing clinicians in utilizing target variables such as attitudes in formulating HIV prevention interventions. Furthermore, the study stimulates the need for further research in using these variables in larger experimental designs.