Ottaway, Zoe;
Onyango, Denis;
Kolodin, Vladimir;
Carter, Abi;
Horne, Rob;
Campbell, Lucy;
Hamzah, Lisa;
... Nicholls, Emily Jay; + view all
(2024)
‘COVID impacted my life in so many ways’: a qualitative study of the lived experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic among people of Black ethnicities living with HIV in England.
Ethnicity and Health
10.1080/13557858.2024.2429405.
(In press).
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Abstract
Objectives COVID-19 disproportionately affected people of Black ethnicities whilst also negatively affecting the health, wellbeing and livelihoods of people living with HIV. This may have been amplified by pre-existing socioeconomic marginalisation, poorer health, and structural racism. Despite being disproportionately affected by the pandemic, little is known about lived experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic within these communities. Given these disparities, this paper explores the lived experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic among people living with HIV and of Black ethnicities in England. Design This qualitative study, comprising five focus group discussions (FGDs) with people of self-reported Black ethnicity, living with HIV in the UK (n = 30). FGDs were conducted between June and August 2022. Topics covered included beliefs and attitudes about COVID-19 (including prevention), COVID-19 information sources and lived experiences. Data were analysed using a reflexive thematic approach. Results Analysis of the data generated several main themes: the collective trauma experienced by Black communities; racial bias influenced by inequitable research; conflicting COVID-19 health messages and medical mistrust; socioeconomic marginalisation including financial hardship; intersecting oppressions such as sexism and ageism; and the overall impact of living with a stigmatising condition such as HIV. Participants additionally found navigating the infodemic, being labelled ‘clinically vulnerable,’ and balancing multiple non-medical needs alongside their cultural, spiritual, and religious beliefs, challenging. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound and enduring multidimensional impacts on the lives of people of Black ethnicities living with HIV. This study reveals how socioeconomic, cultural, behavioural, and biological factors intersected to shape experiences of the pandemic within these communities in the UK. Our data illustrate the lived realities of worsening health and social inequalities due to COVID-19, while at the same time highlighting the central importance of trusted community organisations in mitigating some of these negative impacts.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | ‘COVID impacted my life in so many ways’: a qualitative study of the lived experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic among people of Black ethnicities living with HIV in England |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1080/13557858.2024.2429405 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2024.2429405 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Keywords: | COVID-19, ethnic inequalities in health, health inequities, HIV |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute for Global Health |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10200807 |
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