Data collection

The data for the nested qualitative study analyzed in this thesis were collected in the MRC/Wits unit study site. Using the AHDSS census data as a sampling frame, a purposeful- random sample16 of 30 households in which, 30 women aged 60-75 years lived was selected. In order to compare the experiences of older women in different households, the sample was stratified by household mortality experience, using the AHDSS verbal autopsy data from 2001 to 2003. As a result, one-third of the women lived in households that had experienced an HIV/AIDS death between 2001 and 2003, one-third lived in households where a death due to another cause had occurred, and one-third in households with no adult death during the period.

Before the fieldwork commenced, ethical clearance was first obtained from the University of the Witwatersrand Ethics Committee. In June 2004, three local interviewers were selected from a pool of candidates after written and oral tests conducted by Schatz, Ogunmefun and the MRC/Wits Unit officials. As a result of the need to recruit mature interviewers, whose ages were close to those of the study participants, the recruited interviewers were aged 40 and above. These interviewers were trained in qualitative interviewing, to equip them well

16 _{This approach is used in this study because purposeful sampling enables the selection of ―information-}

for the job. The duties assigned to each interviewer included interviewing 10 respondents thrice, recording, transcribing and translating interviews into English. Before an interview took place, verbal consent was obtained from the respondent by the interviewer17. The respondent was also permitted to withdraw at any point during the interview. The length of each interview was approximately one hour.

Between July and September 2004, three in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with each of the 30 South African respondents. In the first interview, respondents were asked about their childhood and family background, marriage and family life, as well as work and pension history. The second interview was about living arrangements in their household, caregiving for the sick and orphan/fostered children, perception of caregiving and, beliefs about and experiences of HIV/AIDS in their household and community. In the third interview, respondents were asked about pension consumption, socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS, social and financial support from family and the government during crises such as adult morbidity and mortality (see appendix B). Out of 30 women aged 60-75 years, originally selected for this phase, six had either died, moved, refused or were too sick to be interviewed. However, alternates were selected to replace these respondents.

The sampling for the 30 additional near-old respondents for this thesis paralleled the original sampling strategy. Using the AHDSS census data, 30 households with 30 women (and 15 alternates) aged 50-59 years were selected for this phase of the fieldwork, which took place between November 2005 and February 2006. Using the AHDSS verbal autopsy data (2001-

2003), the sample was stratified by household mortality experience. There were, therefore, 10 women who lived in households with an adult HIV/AIDS related death, 10 women in households with a death due to another cause and 10 women in households with no adult death during the designated period. The three local interviewers recruited in the first phase of the project were re-hired and using in-depth semi-structured interviews, they interviewed each near-old respondent thrice.

Most of the topics in the interview guide for the first phase were retained and used in this second phase, however, some topics were adapted, while a few new topics were added (see appendix C). In addition, the concepts of socio-economic impact and socio-cultural impacts of HIV/AIDS on elderly women, as illustrated in the PSE framework, were explored. Some of the new topics or questions asked included the difference a pension grant would make during crises, expectation of getting a pension grant at age 60, stigmatization of HIV/AIDS in the community and household, personal experiences of HIV/AIDS related stigma as well as beliefs surrounding stigma. Before interviews were conducted, the interviewers obtained informed verbal consent from the respondents and also informed them that they were permitted to withdraw at any point during the interview. Out of the 30 respondents (in the original sample), three women were replaced by alternates because they were not available to be interviewed18.

In addition to the 30 respondents aged 50-59 years, the interviewers re-visited the South African respondents over age 60 that were initially interviewed in the first phase of this

project in 2004. Out of 30 respondents in the original sample, 27 were interviewed. One of the three respondents (that were not interviewed) passed away a few months before the fieldwork commenced; the second one refused to be interviewed and the third had a mental illness, so she could not be interviewed. These 27 respondents were asked questions relating to HIV/AIDS stigmatization as mentioned above. All interviews were taped, translated into English and fully transcribed, as in the first phase of the project. At the end of the last interview in each phase, respondents were given small food parcels to compensate for time spent for the interviews19.