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HIV/AIDS-related stigma in the South African construction industry: the case of ESKOM

The South African construction industry has not responded effectively to address the high HIV-prevalence rate within its workforce. The Western Cape construction industry is the least responsive. No formal studies have examined how the construction industry's unresponsiveness to the pandemic has imp...

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Main Author: Fredericks, Cameron
Other Authors: Bowen, Paul
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Construction Economics and Management 2015
Subjects:
Construction Economics and Management
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access_status_str Open Access
author Fredericks, Cameron
author2 Bowen, Paul
author_browse Bowen, Paul
Fredericks, Cameron
author_facet Bowen, Paul
Fredericks, Cameron
author_sort Fredericks, Cameron
collection Thesis
description The South African construction industry has not responded effectively to address the high HIV-prevalence rate within its workforce. The Western Cape construction industry is the least responsive. No formal studies have examined how the construction industry's unresponsiveness to the pandemic has impacted Eskom's capital construction projects. Central to the fight against the spread of the disease is voluntary testing and counselling (VCT). AIDS-related stigma and discrimination are impediments to VCT. The aim of this study is to explore how stigmatisation and discrimination of HIV/AIDS positive persons negatively impacts site-based HIV/AIDS intervention programmes implemented at Eskom construction sites. The three main objectives are: to determine the current attitude and views Koeberg employees have towards HIV/AIDS; to determine if the stigma of HIV/AIDS prevents Koeberg employees from accessing HIV intervention programmes offered at Koeberg; and to determine the percentage of Koeberg employees utilising the HIV intervention programme at Koeberg. A self-administered questionnaire gathered data from 296 site-based employees, mostly contract construction workers, at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, located in Cape Town. The data were analysed using Pearson's product-moment correlation, the test for differences in means, the chi- square test for independence, and multiple regression analysis. These statistical analyses were conducted to determine relationships among 'demographic' variables (age, gender, ethnicity, employment type, marital status and education level) and 'cognitive ' and 'behavioural' factors ('lifestyle risk', 'condom non-compliance', 'substance use', 'HIV/AIDS knowledge', and 'attitudinal fear of testing') - to predict HIV/AIDS-related stigma. The results indicate that: (1) age predicts lifestyle risk, condom non-compliance and alcohol consumption - younger workers i.e., under 30 years, consume more alcohol , partake to a greater extent in riskier sexual affairs , but practice safer sex than older workers; (2) gender predicts lifestyle risk and alcohol use, and directly influences attitudinal fear of being tested for HIV – younger men, particularly contract construction workers, tend to be more fearful of being tested for HIV, lead riskier sexual lifestyles, and consume greater amounts of alcohol; (3) ethnicity predicts condom non- compliance and alcohol consumption – 'White', 'Indian' and 'Coloured' men are less likely to use condoms and consume more alcohol than 'Black' African men; and (4) HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudinal fear of testing predicts stigmatised views toward HIV/AIDS - those with lower levels of education and possessing poor knowledge about HIV/AIDS, coupled with high attitudinal fear of testing, hold highly stigmatised views towards HIV/AIDS persons. 'Coloured' employees living with HIV have higher levels of felt-stigma and enacted stigma than 'Black' African employees living with HIV. The Koeberg site-based HIV/AIDS intervention programme should increase its focus on communicating the benefits of being tested for HIV/AIDS, and encourage younger men, particularly contract construction workers, to undergo testing. Effort should also be focussed on reassuring employees about their confidentiality and dispel misinformation and myths associated with the disease. Finally, Koeberg senior management should pledge their support, influence and guide construction firms employed at Koeberg to utilise the Eskom HIV/AIDS intervention programme.
format Thesis
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institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:34:17.944Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2015
publishDateRange 2015
publishDateSort 2015
publisher Department of Construction Economics and Management
publisherStr Department of Construction Economics and Management
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/14131 HIV/AIDS-related stigma in the South African construction industry: the case of ESKOM Fredericks, Cameron Bowen, Paul Construction Economics and Management The South African construction industry has not responded effectively to address the high HIV-prevalence rate within its workforce. The Western Cape construction industry is the least responsive. No formal studies have examined how the construction industry's unresponsiveness to the pandemic has impacted Eskom's capital construction projects. Central to the fight against the spread of the disease is voluntary testing and counselling (VCT). AIDS-related stigma and discrimination are impediments to VCT. The aim of this study is to explore how stigmatisation and discrimination of HIV/AIDS positive persons negatively impacts site-based HIV/AIDS intervention programmes implemented at Eskom construction sites. The three main objectives are: to determine the current attitude and views Koeberg employees have towards HIV/AIDS; to determine if the stigma of HIV/AIDS prevents Koeberg employees from accessing HIV intervention programmes offered at Koeberg; and to determine the percentage of Koeberg employees utilising the HIV intervention programme at Koeberg. A self-administered questionnaire gathered data from 296 site-based employees, mostly contract construction workers, at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, located in Cape Town. The data were analysed using Pearson's product-moment correlation, the test for differences in means, the chi- square test for independence, and multiple regression analysis. These statistical analyses were conducted to determine relationships among 'demographic' variables (age, gender, ethnicity, employment type, marital status and education level) and 'cognitive ' and 'behavioural' factors ('lifestyle risk', 'condom non-compliance', 'substance use', 'HIV/AIDS knowledge', and 'attitudinal fear of testing') - to predict HIV/AIDS-related stigma. The results indicate that: (1) age predicts lifestyle risk, condom non-compliance and alcohol consumption - younger workers i.e., under 30 years, consume more alcohol , partake to a greater extent in riskier sexual affairs , but practice safer sex than older workers; (2) gender predicts lifestyle risk and alcohol use, and directly influences attitudinal fear of being tested for HIV – younger men, particularly contract construction workers, tend to be more fearful of being tested for HIV, lead riskier sexual lifestyles, and consume greater amounts of alcohol; (3) ethnicity predicts condom non- compliance and alcohol consumption – 'White', 'Indian' and 'Coloured' men are less likely to use condoms and consume more alcohol than 'Black' African men; and (4) HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudinal fear of testing predicts stigmatised views toward HIV/AIDS - those with lower levels of education and possessing poor knowledge about HIV/AIDS, coupled with high attitudinal fear of testing, hold highly stigmatised views towards HIV/AIDS persons. 'Coloured' employees living with HIV have higher levels of felt-stigma and enacted stigma than 'Black' African employees living with HIV. The Koeberg site-based HIV/AIDS intervention programme should increase its focus on communicating the benefits of being tested for HIV/AIDS, and encourage younger men, particularly contract construction workers, to undergo testing. Effort should also be focussed on reassuring employees about their confidentiality and dispel misinformation and myths associated with the disease. Finally, Koeberg senior management should pledge their support, influence and guide construction firms employed at Koeberg to utilise the Eskom HIV/AIDS intervention programme. 2015-09-30T13:42:28Z 2015-09-30T13:42:28Z 2015 Master Thesis Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14131 eng application/pdf Department of Construction Economics and Management Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Construction Economics and Management
Fredericks, Cameron
HIV/AIDS-related stigma in the South African construction industry: the case of ESKOM
thesis_degree_str Master's
title HIV/AIDS-related stigma in the South African construction industry: the case of ESKOM
title_full HIV/AIDS-related stigma in the South African construction industry: the case of ESKOM
title_fullStr HIV/AIDS-related stigma in the South African construction industry: the case of ESKOM
title_full_unstemmed HIV/AIDS-related stigma in the South African construction industry: the case of ESKOM
title_short HIV/AIDS-related stigma in the South African construction industry: the case of ESKOM
title_sort hiv aids related stigma in the south african construction industry the case of eskom
topic Construction Economics and Management
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14131
work_keys_str_mv AT frederickscameron hivaidsrelatedstigmainthesouthafricanconstructionindustrythecaseofeskom

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