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

Abstract

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.