"If She is Drunk, I Don't Want Her to Take it": Partner Beliefs and Influence on Use of Alcohol and Antiretroviral Therapy in South African Couples.
Alcohol consumption and beliefs about mixing alcohol and ART are associated with decreased adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). In this study, we examined how romantic partners influence alcohol and ART use. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 HIV-positive individuals and their primary partners (48 individuals) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Almost 17% of participants spontaneously expressed beliefs that alcohol and ART should not be mixed. Participants who held these beliefs influenced their partners' behaviors by either discouraging the mixing of alcohol and ART, which sometimes resulted in missed pills when drinking, or by helping partners manage their medications when drinking. Other participants encouraged partners to take ART no matter what. Messages on alcohol and ART may need to be refined for ART patients who cannot abstain from alcohol. Primary partners should be included in these education efforts and their influence could be leveraged to help reduce alcohol consumption and maintain adherence.
Department of Medicine, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California San Francisco, 550 16th Street 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA, USA. amy.conroy@ucsf.edu.
Amy A
AA
Conroy
Stacey McKenna, LLC, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
Stacey A
SA
McKenna
Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MI, USA.
Anna
A
Leddy
Department of Medicine, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California San Francisco, 550 16th Street 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Mallory O
MO
Johnson
Human Sciences Research Council, Human and Social Development Programme, Durban, South Africa.
Thulani
T
Ngubane
Department of Medicine, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California San Francisco, 550 16th Street 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA, USA.|Department of Health Behavior and Biological Sciences, and Center for Sexuality and Health Disparities, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Lynae A
LA
Darbes
Human Sciences Research Council, Human and Social Development Programme, Durban, South Africa.
Heidi
H
van Rooyen
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D044383:Black People; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence; D008875:Middle Aged; D012747:Sexual Partners; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents
Alcohol use; Antiretroviral therapy; HIV/AIDS; South Africa; Treatment beliefs