ISSN: 2226-6348
Open access
In rural Uganda, the spread of HIV/AIDS remains a pressing public health challenge, with socio-cultural norms playing a pivotal role in influencing health behaviors. This qualitative study explored the role of religious communities in combating HIV/AIDS in rural Uganda through focus group discussions with religious leaders and lay participants. Key findings include the powerful influence of religious leaders in shaping community behavior and beliefs, bridging knowledge gaps about HIV/AIDS, addressing stigma, harmonizing faith with medical science, and empowering communities through knowledge. The study emphasizes the potential for collaboration between health professionals and religious leaders to create effective HIV/AIDS awareness and intervention strategies. It also highlights the need for culturally sensitive approaches and the integration of faith into public health campaigns. This research has implications for social work practice by emphasizing community involvement, power dynamics, stigma reduction, and the intertwining of faith and daily life. Additionally, it contributes to sociological theory by illustrating the impact of institutions on societal norms, the role of knowledge as cultural capital, symbolic interactionism in shaping perspectives, and the effects of stigma and labeling. Overall, this study provides a blueprint for addressing public health challenges in culturally diverse environments.
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(Kalanzi, 2023)
Kalanzi, R. (2023). Mobilizing Religious Communities to Combat the Spread of HIV AIDS in Rural Uganda: Implications for Social Work and Sociological Theory. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 12(3), 2206-2221.
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)
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