I'm Not a "Basabasa" Woman: An Explanatory Model of HIV Illness in Ghanaian Women

Ghana continues to experience an increase in the rate of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with more new infections occurring in women than in men. Prevailing views of health and illness, including indigenous knowledge and traditional beliefs, are an important component of the broad context of disease transmission. Participatory action research was used to explore the explanatory model of HIV illness of 31 seropositive Ghanaian women. Also interviewed were 5 HIV seropositive men, 2 traditional healers, 8 nurses, and 10 professionals, individually and in focus groups, to reflect on the women's comments and the themes emerging from the data. In this article, the women's beliefs about HIV illness will be discussed and their views about the etiology, pathophysiology, symptomology, course of illness, and methods of treatment for their illness will be described. Findings illustrate areas of divergence and convergence between traditional and biomedical explanations of, and treatment for, HIV illness. The necessity for health professionals, particularly nurses, to understand individual and community perceptions about HIV illness is highlighted by the study findings.