Current Research and Good Practice in HIV and AIDS Treatment Education (UNESCO and WHO, 2007)

As antiretroviral treatment (ART) is scaled up, there is a growing realisation among programme managers and donors that merely providing ART and training health providers is not sufficient and that unless efforts are made to engage communities and individuals to improve their knowledge and understanding of HIV, AIDS, and ART, programmes will fall far short of attaining universal access to treatment. Treatment education has thus become a critical link between service provision and actual uptake of services.

This paper describes current research and field experiences related to HIV and AIDS treatment education undertaken with individuals and communities in Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, and Zambia. The paper also discusses a treatment literacy intervention evaluated in the United States.

The paper highlights some of the successes of these programmes and identifies the gaps and problems experienced while conducting treatment education.

The report was written for UNESCO and WHO by Dr Avina Sarna, Programme Associate of the Population Council’s Horizons Programme and Ms Ellen Weiss, Research Utilization Director, Horizons Programme, seconded from the International Centre for Research on Women. Ms Sajni Shajy, a consultant, conducted the literature review.

Preliminary findings of the paper were presented at the UNESCO/WHO Technical Consultation on HIV and AIDS Treatment Education, held in Paris, France 22-23 November 2005.