The aim of the study was to develop an HIV and AIDS training manual,
and to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and management of faith
healers of Apostolic churches regarding HIV and AIDS, before and after
they attended an HIV and AIDS training programme. A quasi-experimental
intervention design was used with faith healers affiliated with the
United African Apostolic Church (UAAC) in the Thulamela and Musina
municipalities of Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, South Africa. A
total of 103 faith healers were included in this study, 58 were
systematically assigned to an intervention and 45 to a control group.
The intervention group received training for 2 days. At follow-up after
2 months, intervention effects were significant for HIV knowledge and
to a lesser extent TB knowledge. No significant improvement was found
in HIV/STI (sexually transmitted infection) management strategies such
as HIV/STI risk behaviour counselling, referral of clients for HIV
testing, keeping condoms at stock in church, and church community
HIV/AIDS/STI education. It is important to note that faith healers
address some of the major known behavioural risk and protective factors
such as partner reduction and condom use. Therefore, faith healers
could be more widely utilized in HIV prevention programmes as risk
reduction counsellors, in particular on matters of community-level
education