Table 2.
Percentage of respondents with low knowledge on diabetes type2/hypertension risk factors and negative perception towards changing against risk behaviors of the diseases among HIV clients utilizing care and treatment services in Tanzania (n = 671)
| Statement for testing knowledge level | Total, n (%) | Clients on ART, n (%) | ART Naïve clients, n (%) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Having family member with history of diabetes, hypertension is a risk to a person to get these diseases | 581(86.6) | 302(85.3) | 279(88.0) | 0.181 |
| Eating fruits less than 5 times a week can lead a person to get hypertension or diabetes | 613(91.3) | 322(91.0) | 291(91.8) | 0.403 |
| Eating food with too much cholesterol/fats is healthy for person’s life | 155(23.1) | 72(20.3) | 83(26.2) | 0.044 |
| If a person is overweight or obese is at risk to get disease like hypertension or diabetes | 277(41.3) | 146(41.2) | 131(41.3) | 0.523 |
| Impotence, amputation, blindness, stroke and renal failure are the outcomes of diabetes | 473(70.3) | 246(69.5) | 227(71.6) | 0.303 |
| Lifestyle changes (healthy diet, increase physical activity, cessation of smoking/tobacco use) can help to manage diabetes and hypertension | 329(49.0) | 171(48.3) | 158(49.8) | 0.374 |
| Alcoholism is the risk factors for diabetes and hypertension | 324(48.3) | 167(47.2) | 157(49.5) | 0.298 |
| Doing physical activities that results in sweating can prevent or delay onsets of diseases like diabetes and hypertension | 357(53.0) | 184(52.0) | 173(54.6) | 0.276 |
| Adding salt to cooked food is not good for health because it increases possibility of getting hypertension | 287(42.8) | 142(40.1) | 145(45.7) | 0.298 |
| Overall proportion of respondents with low knowledge | 276(41.1) | 141(39.8) | 135(42.6) | 0.259 |
| Statement for assessing perception level | ||||
| If a person suddenly becomes thin and slender is a sign of running bankrupt | 214(31.9) | 114(36.0) | 100(28.2) | 0.020 |
| To become thin and slender is not good because people will consider one to be HIV positive | 274(40.8) | 134(42.3) | 140(39.5) | 0.262 |
| If somebody is fat has to maintain his/her body structure otherwise can be considered to be HIV positive | 336(50.1) | 165(52.1) | 171(48.3) | 0.186 |
| HIV positive person has to be fat if became thin and slander he/she will be stigmatized | 423(63.0) | 201(63.4) | 222(62.7) | 0.458 |
| HIV person should eat food with high in fats & carbohydrate content always so as to increase & maintain heavy weight | 372(55.4) | 183(57.7) | 189(53.4) | 0.147 |
| An HIV positive person has to drink alcohol daily in order to reduce stress related to his/her status | 87(13.0) | 44(13.9) | 43(12.1) | 0.290 |
| An HIV positive person is not supposed to do any casual work which can lead to sweating | 286(42.6) | 144(45.4) | 142(40.1) | 0.095 |
| Smoking is not a problem to HIV positive person as it causes relaxation to an individual | 87(13.0) | 45(14.2) | 42(11.9) | 0.217 |
| Overall proportion of respondents with negative perception | 293(43.7) | 144(45.4) | 149(42.1) | 0.214 |