BARBERS' KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES RELATING TO THE PREVENTION OF HIV INFECTION IN BARBER SHOPS IN IBADAN SOUTHWEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, NIGERIA.

Abstract

All the respondents were male. Though some females were encountered during the study none was involved in the act of barbing. They were either shop owners (employing stylists) or members of barbers’ union. The age of the respondents cut across both young and old generations. The least of the ages still met the minimum age requirement for professional Heensing in the United States, which is 16 years. The respondents were fairly literate as only very few did not have formal education. The level of awareness about HIV/AIDS was high among the barbers and this has been reported in previous studies on barbers in Northern Nigeria. Majority of the respondents believe that barbing instruments could not spread HIV unless it was visibly stained with blood. Some misconceptions still exist among the respondents. Some of them attested to the availability of cure of AIDS in Nigeria and thought that casual touch or handshake with infected persons were risky. Some demographic characteristics were found to significantly affect their HIV-prevention knowledge. Educational level was found to significantly affect their HIV-prevention knowledge. Age of the respondents did not seem to have a linear effect, but respondents older than 50 years had poorer knowledge than any of the younger age groups. The assessment of the respondents’ attitudes towards HIV prevention practice shows an overall positive attitude. Noteworthy is the agreement of almost all the respondents to the statement that barbers have the primary responsibility of protecting their clients through decontamination, regardless of request from clients and cost. This study show that the decontamination practices of the respondents in relation to HIV prevention was not satisfactory. This study has identified specific problems in the professional practices of barbers in relation to HIV infection. A substantive proportion of the barbers did not know that they were susceptible to HIV infection from their clients. Health education strategies such as training, supportive supervision, peer education and advocacy are needed to facilitate the adoption of precautionary measures against HIV infection among the barbers.