| dc.description.abstract | Voluntary HIV Counselling and Testing (VCT) is one of the key strategies in the prevention
and control of HIV/AIDS in Kenya. However, the utilization of VCT services particularly
among men is low. The major barriers to VCT use among men were poor utilization of VCT
services due to poor access, stigma and confidentiality of services. Despite the array of
delivery approaches and the advantages of VCT, uptake in sub-Saharan Africa is
disappointingly low with reports of 12% to 56% among couples or the general public. The
purpose of this study was to establish the factors influencing HIV/AIDS counselling and
testing uptake among men in Kenya by focusing on Kiandutu slums in Thika. The objective
of the study was to establish the influence of socio-demographic characteristics, sociocultural
factors and health service factors on HIV/AIDS counselling and testing uptake
among men in Kiandutu slums. This research problem was studied through the use of a
descriptive survey research design. The target population of this study was 7213 men aged
between 15 and 49 years in Kiandutu slums. The study also included 24 health care officers
in Kiandutu slums. The study then used simple random sampling to select 365 men in
Kiandutu slums. The study also selected all the 24 healthcare workers in Kiandutu slums. The
sample size of this study was therefore 389 respondents. Qualitative data was collected by
use of interview guides while quantitative data was collected by use of semi-structured
questionnaires. The quantitative data in this research was analyzed by descriptive statistics
such as the frequencies percentages, mean and standard deviation using statistical package for
social sciences (SPPS V 21.0). The research also conducted a correlation analysis. The study
found that there is a positive and significant relationship between HIV/AIDS counselling and
testing uptake among men and socio-demographic characteristics, socio-cultural factors and
health service factors of magnitude 0.628, 0.778 and 0.632 respectively. The positive
relationship indicates that there is a correlation between the factors and HIV/AIDS
counselling and testing uptake among men. The study concludes that one issue of particular
relevance is stigma surrounding both the HIV testing process and the disclosure of an HIVpositive
status. The stigmatizing nature of HIV/AIDS is a factor that influence delayed HIV
testing by at-risk persons. The study recommends that there is a need of promotion of VCT
through sound and viable information and counselling interventions by involving mass
media, colleges, mass organizations and parents | en_US |
