Rights statement: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in AIDS Care on 25/10/2017, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09540121.2017.1394965
Accepted author manuscript, 894 KB, PDF document
Available under license: CC BY-NC: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Barriers and facilitators of access to HIV, harm reduction and sexual and reproductive health services by women who inject drugs : role of community-based outreach and drop-in centers. / Ayon, Sylvia; Ndimbii, James; Abdulrahman, Taib et al.
In: AIDS Care, Vol. 30, No. 4, 05.2018, p. 480-487.Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Barriers and facilitators of access to HIV, harm reduction and sexual and reproductive health services by women who inject drugs
T2 - role of community-based outreach and drop-in centers
AU - Ayon, Sylvia
AU - Ndimbii, James
AU - Abdulrahman, Taib
AU - Mlewa, Onesmus
AU - Wang, Bangyuan
AU - Ragi, Allan
AU - Mburu, Gitau
N1 - This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in AIDS Care on 25/10/2017, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09540121.2017.1394965
PY - 2018/5
Y1 - 2018/5
N2 - There is limited data regarding women who inject drugs, and how harm-reduction services can be made more women-centered. This study explored experiences of Kenyan women who inject drugs, with regard to access to HIV, harm reduction and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. A total of 45 women who inject drugs and 5 key stakeholders participated in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Thematic analysis of the data revealed that stigma, long distances, lack of confidentiality, user fees, multiple appointments, drug users’ unfamiliarity with health facilities, disconnect in communication with healthcare providers, and healthcare providers’ lack of understanding of women’s needs were factors that impede women’s access to health services. Community-based services, comprising of outreach and drop-in centers mitigate these barriers by building trust, educating women on their health and rights, linking women to health facilities, sensitizing health providers on the needs of women who inject drugs, and integrating women’s SRH services into community-based harm-reduction outreach. Inclusion of SRH services into community-based harm-reduction activities increased women’s interest and access to harm-reduction interventions. These findings underscore the need to strengthen community-based programming for women who inject drugs, and to integrate SRH services into needle and syringe exchange programs.
AB - There is limited data regarding women who inject drugs, and how harm-reduction services can be made more women-centered. This study explored experiences of Kenyan women who inject drugs, with regard to access to HIV, harm reduction and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. A total of 45 women who inject drugs and 5 key stakeholders participated in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Thematic analysis of the data revealed that stigma, long distances, lack of confidentiality, user fees, multiple appointments, drug users’ unfamiliarity with health facilities, disconnect in communication with healthcare providers, and healthcare providers’ lack of understanding of women’s needs were factors that impede women’s access to health services. Community-based services, comprising of outreach and drop-in centers mitigate these barriers by building trust, educating women on their health and rights, linking women to health facilities, sensitizing health providers on the needs of women who inject drugs, and integrating women’s SRH services into community-based harm-reduction outreach. Inclusion of SRH services into community-based harm-reduction activities increased women’s interest and access to harm-reduction interventions. These findings underscore the need to strengthen community-based programming for women who inject drugs, and to integrate SRH services into needle and syringe exchange programs.
KW - HIV
KW - injecting drug use
KW - women
KW - sexual and reproductive health
KW - integration
U2 - 10.1080/09540121.2017.1394965
DO - 10.1080/09540121.2017.1394965
M3 - Journal article
VL - 30
SP - 480
EP - 487
JO - AIDS Care
JF - AIDS Care
SN - 0954-0121
IS - 4
ER -