Horizons Projects | Understanding the Relationship Between Alcohol Consumption and VCT Utilization

HORIZONS PROJECT
Understanding the Relationship Between Alcohol Consumption and VCT Utilization

Although alcohol can interfere with the practice of HIV prevention behaviors and the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy (ART), little is known about whether voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) and ART providers perceive alcohol abuse as a problem among their clients.

This operations research study is exploring the dynamics of alcohol use in VCT settings. The formative study included 19 focus group discussions with VCT counselors, ART service providers and their patients, and providers and patients from substance abuse recovery centers. Also, 1,073 exit interviews have been conducted with VCT clients from 18 static and six mobile sites from three provinces in Kenya—Nairobi, Coast, and Central.

Preliminary results indicate that there is a need to incorporate alcohol counseling into VCT service provision, as alcohol use was fairly common among VCT clients. Providers are receptive toward being trained on alcohol counseling. VCT counselors reported that it is not uncommon for alcohol users to seek HIV testing while intoxicated to help them cope with the stress of learning their HIV status. Another challenge for counselors is how to help women clients who are concerned about their husband’s or partner’s drinking and the fact that it impedes communication about preventing HIV transmission.

Following the results of the formative study, a training module for VCT counselors and screening tools for clients are being developed by project partner Liverpool VCT and Care. These will be used in an intervention that will train VCT counselors so that they are able to identify alcohol users, offer brief counseling, and provide appropriate referrals. The intervention will be assessed through operations research beginning in 2006.

Location

Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya

Duration

September 2005–July 2007

Horizons and Population Council researchers

Caroline Mackenzie, Karusa Kiragu

(For more information about this study, please contact horizons@popcouncil.org.)

Non-Council collaborators

Nduku Kilonzo (Liverpool VCT and Care)

Melania Akinyi (Steadman Research Division)

Donor

US Agency for International Development

Publications/Resources
Horizons and Population Council researchers' names appear in boldface type.

2007
Mackenzie, Caroline and Karusa Kiragu. “Should voluntary counseling and testing counselors address alcohol use with clients? Findings from an operations research study in Kenya,” Horizons Research Update. Nairobi: Population Council. (PDF)

2006
Khan, Hena. "Alcohol and HIV services: Study finds Kenyan counselors need support to handle alcohol use among clients," The Horizons Report, June. Washington, DC: Population Council. (full text)