Table 1.
Profiles of all participants (n = 451)
| Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Socio-demographic characteristics | ||
| Male | 423 | 93.8 |
| Age (mean: 32.91, sd: 10.40) | ||
| 18– | 105 | 23.3 |
| 25– | 185 | 41.0 |
| 35–80 | 161 | 35.7 |
| Han ethnicity | 422 | 93.6 |
| Education level | ||
| Junior high or below | 128 | 28.4 |
| Senior high school | 142 | 31.5 |
| College or above | 181 | 40.1 |
| Current marital status | ||
| Single | 270 | 59.9 |
| Married or cohabitation | 123 | 27.3 |
| Others (Married separation/Divorce/Others) | 58 | 12.9 |
| Having health insurance | 291 | 64.5 |
| Origin | ||
| Local (Guangzhou) | 117 | 26.1 |
| Other places of Guangdong Province | 107 | 23.8 |
| Other Provinces | 225 | 50.1 |
| HIV-related characteristics | ||
| Duration of HIV infection (months since HIV diagnosis) | ||
| <1 | 237 | 52.5 |
| 1–12 | 78 | 17.3 |
| >12 | 136 | 30.2 |
| Route of HIV infection | ||
| Heterosexual behaviour | 104 | 23.1 |
| Homosexual behaviour | 328 | 72.7 |
| Injecting drug use/uncertain | 19 | 4.2 |
| Infection status of current spouse/regular sex partners | ||
| Negative | 57 | 12.6 |
| Positive | 52 | 11.5 |
| Don’t know | 150 | 33.3 |
| Without partner | 192 | 42.6 |
| Most recent CD4 counts | ||
| <=350 | 243 | 53.9 |
| >350 | 208 | 46.1 |
| Ever had AIDS-related clinical symptoms | ||
| No | 367 | 81.4 |
| Yes | 84 | 18.6 |
| Psycho-social status | ||
| Depression (mean: 7.76, sd: 5.84) | ||
| Normal (0–4) | 153 | 33.9 |
| Mild (5–9) | 159 | 35.3 |
| Moderate-severe (10–27) | 139 | 30.8 |
| Psycho-social status | ||
| Anxiety (5.63, 4.99) | ||
| Normal (0–4) | 213 | 47.2 |
| Mild (5–9) | 158 | 35.0 |
| Moderate-severe (10–21) | 80 | 17.7 |
| Perceived stigma (mean: 31.56, sd: 6.81) | ||
| Social support (mean: 57.18, sd: 14.16) | ||
| Healthcare workers’ recommendations to initiate ART | ||
| From physicians at CHCs | ||
| Weak recommendation | 94 | 20.8 |
| Strong recommendation | 189 | 41.9 |
| Not applicable | 168 | 37.3 |
| From physicians at the CDC | ||
| Weak recommendation | 67 | 14.9 |
| Strong recommendation | 351 | 77.8 |
| Not applicable | 33 | 7.3 |
| From healthcare workers at NGOs | ||
| Weak recommendation | 101 | 22.4 |
| Strong recommendation | 90 | 20.0 |
| Not applicable | 260 | 57.6 |
Not applicable: participants have not previously had contact with this type of healthcare worker
CHCs: Community Healthcare Centres
NGOs: non-governmental organizations
CDC: the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention