Health needs and care-seeking behaviour of people living with HIV/AIDS and attending national antiretroviral treatment in Abuja, Nigeria

Objective: To describe the health needs and care-seeking behaviour of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) and receiving national antiretroviral (ARV) therapy in Abuja, Nigeria. Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional study using a semi-structured self-administered questionnaire. Setting: Seven health facilities approved for administering the federal government subsidised national progrmme on antiretroviral treatment in Abuja and environs, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria. Participants: 186 PLWHAs aged 16 years and above following their informed consent. Results: Health related needs included sustained treatment, social support, financial support, information and accommodation. Health care-seeking behaviour was conditioned by the economic situation and were determined by factors such as confidentiality, affordability, availability of ARVs, good attitude of health workers, proximity etc. Conclusions: Whenever PLWHAs in Abuj a could afford treatment, confidentiality was the main factor determining the place of treatment. Their most important need was for the treatment programme to be sustained.