**5. Discussion**

The study indicated that majority of the respondents are between the ages of 21-40 years. This may be due to the fact that the age group is more actively engaged in risk behaviours. The finding also showed that the majority of respondents are females. Presumably, this could be as a result of their exposure to high risk sexual activities such as polygamy, circumcision, early marriages of young girls, and lack of power to insist on use of condoms during sex.

The findings also indicated the highest needs of the respondents as physiological needs which include food, water and air. The finding could be as a result of level of poverty in Nigeria. The least needs as identified by the respondents are aesthetic needs. This is in line with theoretical proposition of Maslow which proposed physiological needs as the most important.

The study also showed spiritual support as the most accessed by the respondents. This finding may be due to the fact that many Nigerians are religious as more than 90% of Nigerians are either Muslims or Christians. Psychological/counselling and financial supports are the least accessed. The economic recession in Nigeria may be responsible for the low level of financial support available to the respondents while the non-provision of professional counselling services in many Nigerian health centres may be a reason for the low level of psychological/counselling support. The implications of these findings are that there is the need to encourage aesthetic and esteem values among PLWHA. In addition, it is also essential to improve provision of social, psychological/counselling and financial supports to the PLWHA. The supportive role of religious organizations as well as peer groups in the use of antiretroviral (HAART) has been highlighted by previous studies in this environment (Jimoh et al, 2008). Similarly, Yahaya (2010) expressed the need for provision of counselling service to HIV/AIDS patients and stressed that with counselling support, PLWHA would be able to face the challenges of HIV/AIDS.
