News Article
Ware shows social ties helping African AIDS patients adhere to ART
01 Jul 2009
At the Harvard Center for AIDS Research conference held on June 24, Norma Ware, associate professor of social medicine, reported her findings from sub-Saharan Africa that social relationships are helping HIV/AIDS patients to maintain anti-retroviral treatment regimens. Based on interviews with patients, their care-givers, and health care professionals, Dr. Ware found that patients feel a social obligation to take their drugs as prescribed in return for the help of people in their social networks. Dr. Ware's work in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda shows the importance of social context in understanding the high adherence rates among those on ART. This work is reported in the Harvard Gazette, July 1.