Table 1.

Free List analysis results: Question 1: Why women don’t start ART?^*

Cover term	Included terms	Total	Total FL respondents N (%)
ARTs are bad			44 (93.6%)
	You can die early if you start taking the drug	11
	They are afraid that once you start the medicines you have to take them for life	11
	Makes you vomit and eat a lot (side effects)	8
	They are afraid they will stop having children	3
	The medicines are too strong	3
Stigma			33 (70.2%)
	Shyness	12
	Afraid people will know their status	12
	Being laughed at	5
Patient (They) do not have information		10	22 (46.8%)
	They have not gone for blood tests	8
	Afraid of Satanists	2
Scared of the marriage ending		13	15 (31.9%)
	Afraid the boyfriends will run away	2
Its their choice not to drink		2	14 (29.8%)
	Laziness	4
	They don’t mind, they can die (ready to die)	3
	Even if I take, I will never be cured	2
	They feel healthy and don’t start the medicine	2
Failure to accept their status		11	11 (23.4%)
They need help to find food		5	8 (17.0%)
	Families are not supportive/do not help	2

^*Responses are kept just as reported and translated in the “local speak”. Thus, there may be grammar errors.