Superstition, witchcraft and HIV prevention in sub-Saharan Africa: the case of Ghana.

Abstract

Belief in superstition and witchcraft is central to many African conceptions of illness, disease causation and etiology. While a number of anthropological studies have alluded to a theoretical link between such beliefs and HIV prevention in particular, there is limited empirical assessment of the association. Using data from the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey and applying random-effects logit models, we investigate whether the belief that AIDS can spread through witchcraft associates with the sexual decision making of never-married men and women. The results show that men who believed AIDS can spread through witchcraft and other supernatural means were less likely to have used condoms at last sexual intercourse, controlling for other socioeconomic and cultural variables. Women with similar beliefs were more likely to have experienced sexual intercourse but less likely to have used condoms at last sex. For women, however, the relationship between such superstitious beliefs and condom use was somewhat attenuated after controlling for ethnicity and region of residence. From a policy perspective, the findings suggest that local beliefs regarding AIDS causation must be considered in designing HIV/AIDS programmes and interventions.

• Authors: Eric Y Tenkorang, Stephen O Gyimah, Eleanor Maticka-Tyndale, Jones Adjei
• Journal: Culture, health & sexuality (Cult Health Sex) Vol. 13 Issue 9 Pg. 1001-14 (Oct 2011) ISSN: 1464-5351 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 21714753 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Causality
• Condoms (statistics & numerical data)
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Female
• Ghana
• HIV Infections (prevention & control, psychology, transmission)
• Health Behavior
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Health Surveys
• Humans
• Logistic Models
• Male
• Medicine, African Traditional
• Middle Aged
• Multivariate Analysis
• Odds Ratio
• Organizations
• Risk-Taking
• Self Report
• Superstitions (psychology)
• Witchcraft (psychology)
• Young Adult