Influence of faith-based organisations on HIV prevention strategies  in Africa: a systematic review.

Marylyn A Ochillo1 , Edwin van Teijlingen, Martin Hind
1. Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Bournemouth University.
2. Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health, Faculty of Health & Social Sciences, Bournemouth University.

Abstract
Background:The HIV/AIDS epidemic remains of global significance and there is a need to target sub-Saharan Africa since it  is the hardest hit region worldwide. Religion and more specifically faith-based organisations can have an effect on socio-cultural  factors that increase or decrease the risk of infection; and offer preventative interventions to the wider community.

Objective: To understand the influence of faith-based organisations on HIV prevention in Africa.

Method: The main search engine of a British university ‘mysearch’ was used as this incorporates all relevant databases. Studies  were also retrieved by searches within Google scholar, PubMed and reference lists of included papers were hand searched. The  authors assessed the relevance of each article separately against the inclusion criteria. The data extraction form was piloted by  the first author and cross-checked by the other authors.

Results:Seven studies met all inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Seven individual themes were identified. However, for the  purposes of focus within this paper only two themes were focused on.

Conclusion: Given the accessibility of faith-based organisations (FBOs) and the coverage of religion among the population,  FBOs are potentially important players in HIV prevention. Therefore, more resources and support should be given to support  their health promotion strategies.

Keywords: Faith-based organisations, HIV prevention strategies, systematic review