Background: HIV support groups provide psychosocial support, education, and adherence support for people living with HIV (PLHIV). This study assessed the level of HIV-related knowledge, awareness, and utilization of support groups among PLHIV attending a primary health centre in Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 112 PLHIV accessing care in a primary health centre in Nigeria. Data were collected on socio-demographics, HIV knowledge, awareness and utilization of support groups using an interviewer-administered, semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 41.8 ± 13.5 years; 81.3% were female, 63.4% were married. Many of the respondents (53.6%) had fair HIV-related knowledge, while 46.4% had high knowledge. Awareness of support groups was high (82.1%) and primarily from healthcare providers (72.3%). Active utilization was low as only 37.5% participated actively, and 23.2% had good utilization levels. Conclusion: Utilization of HIV support groups remains suboptimal despite high awareness and fair knowledge. Targeted education and addressing logistical barriers are needed to enhance participation.
Ezenyeaku et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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