Gender,Sexual Health Seeking Behavior,and HIV/AIDS Among Tarok Women in North-Central Nigeria

In this study, which was part of a larger project I undertook in North-central Nigeria, I explored the differences in the sexual health seeking behavior of Tarok women and men and how these differences affect the spread of HIV. With the help of three research assistants, I conducted 16 in-depth interviews and 24 focus group discussions in four Tarok communities in North-central Nigeria. I found certain negative effects of gender inequality on women's sexual health seeking behavior in particular, a situation that has adverse implications for HIV acquisition and transmission. I therefore concluded that addressing the challenges of gender inequality is imperative for a sustained fight against HIV and AIDS in Nigeria.     

Women and HIV/AIDS in China: Gender and Vulnerability

A comprehensive literature review was conducted to determine if there was a research gap between women's vulnerability to HIV and research addressing that vulnerability in China. Türmen's article Gender and HIV/AIDS served as a framework for examining the eight determinants placing women and adolescent girls at greater risk of HIV infection than men. Eighty-eight research reports were retrieved and categorized by general characteristics and the eight determinants. Women were found to be more vulnerable than men to HIV infection in China and worldwide. While researchers reported a considerable amount of research regarding women's HIV/AIDS-related issues in China, there is insufficient attention to some risk determinants. Investigators are encouraged to take advantage of political commitment and policy changes in China to conduct more research focusing on female vulnerability and to address the effects of violence, laws, stigma, and discrimination in female HIV prevention.     

Gender equity and HIV/AIDS prevention: comparing gender differences in sexual practice and beliefs among Zimbabwe university students

We assess gender differences in HIV prevention knowledge, attitudes and practices with a focus on cultural, sociological, and economic variables. A randomized cross-sectional study was used in order to achieve high participation and broad comparative assessment. An eight-page questionnaire was administered to 933 randomly selected students at the University of Zimbabwe. Survey items addressed sexual decision-making, condom use, limiting sexual partners, cultural power dynamics and access to HIV testing. We found marked gender differences with men reporting beliefs of entitlement to dominate women, an assumed leadership in decision-making concerning condom use and an attitude that when a woman says "no" to sex, really, "it depends." Women acknowledged gender-based cultural attitudes but are much more likely to support women's rights to sexual expression. A multi-faceted approach to gender equity training is needed to challenge men and women to change attitudes and increase social awareness that respects cultural traditions while still inspiring both men and women to champion justice and equality between genders.     

Women's Rights and Women's Health During HIV/AIDS Epidemics: The Experience of Women in Sub-Saharan Africa

Twenty-five years have passed since HIV/AIDS was recognized as a major public health problem. Although billions of dollars are spent in research and development, we still have no medical cure or vaccination. In the early days of the epidemic, public health slogans suggested that HIV/AIDS does not discriminate. Now it is becoming clear that HIV/AIDS spreads most rapidly among poor, marginalized, women, colonized, and disempowered groups of people more than others. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is exacerbated by the social, economic, political, and cultural conditions of societies such as gender, racial, class, and other forms of inequalities. Sub-Saharan African countries are severely hit by HIV/AIDS. For these countries the pandemic of HIV/AIDS demands the need to travel extra miles. My objective in this article is to promote the need to go beyond the biomedical model of “technical fixes” and the traditional public health education tools, and come up with innovative ideas and strategic thinking to contain the epidemic. In this article, I argue that containing the HIV/AIDS epidemic and improving family and community health requires giving appropriate attention to the social illnesses that are responsible for exacerbating biological disorders.     

Gender differences in HIV/AIDS

Women currently have to face a series of additional risk factors for HIV infection, which place them at a disadvantage compared with men. These factors include economic dependence on their partners, difficulties in gaining access to accurate information on infection, prevention, diagnostic tests and counseling, gender violence, and discrimination. These difficulties are demonstrated by the growing epidemic in women, which illustrates the need to guarantee the legal, institutional, social and economic conditions that would enable action to be taken against these factors of inequality. The present article reviews the biological and social factors that influence susceptibility to infection in men and women, gender differences related to health services attendance and disease, and HIV/AIDS preventive measures from a gender perspective. The situation in Europe and the USA has been taken as a reference, although the article is mainly focused on Spain.     

农村妇女预防HIV/AIDS健康教育近期效果评估

目的:评估河北省迁西县农村地区妇女预防HIV/AIDS健康教育干预的近期效果。方法:采用定性与定量调查相结合的方法对比干预前后农村妇女获得HIV/AIDS防治知识的途径、防治知识知晓率及相关态度和意愿,分析评价干预效果。结果:终末调查时干预组和对照组听周围人介绍HIV/AIDS知识的比例分别为54.58%和23.85%(P<0.05)。干预组知晓预防艾滋病母婴传播(PMTCT)的比例上升19.58个百分点(P<0.05),知晓蚊虫叮咬和共用马桶不会传播的比例分别升高42.09和29.17个百分点(P<0.05),知晓"四免一关怀"政策的比例上升了49.16个百分点(P<0.05),较对照组上升幅度更大。结论:农村妇女预防HIV/AIDS健康教育有效,同伴教育是农村预防HIV/AIDS的一种适宜健康教育方式。     

Associations Between Gender Identity Control,Gender Identity Non-Verification,and Health Risks among Trans Women of Color Living with HIV

Archives of Sexual Behavior - This study applied Identity Theory (IT) metrics to data gathered from a sample of trans women of color living with HIV to determine whether measures of identity...     

Gender, religious involvement, and HIV/AIDS prevention in Mozambique

Using survey and semi-structured interview data collected in various religious congregations in urban and rural areas of Mozambique, this study analyzes how gender differences in perceptions of HIV/AIDS and preventive behavior are mediated by religious involvement. Logistic regression is employed to examine the effects of gender and of the interactions between gender and type of denomination--"mainline" (Catholic and Presbyterian) or "healing" (Assembly of God, Zionist, and Apostolic)--on female and male members' exposure to HIV/AIDS-related prevention messages, knowledge and perception of risks, and practice of prevention. The analysis detects women's disadvantage on several measures of knowledge and prevention but also suggests that gender differences are less pronounced among members of "mainline" churches. The semi-structured interview data further highlight how gender differences are shaped in different religious environments. Although the potential of faith-based institutions in combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic is undeniable, policy-makers need to heed important differences among these institutions when devising ways to harness this potential.     

艾滋病与妇女健康

分析艾滋病对妇女预期寿命造成的影响,指出艾滋病其产生原因和成为一些国家主要疾病负担来源及社会经济发展的主要障碍之一,同时也论证了社会和经济等因素是目前造成女性艾滋病感染快速增长的重要原因。     

大型劳教所艾滋病羁押人员集中管理实践与探讨

目的对大型劳教所开展艾滋病羁押人员集中管理的现状进行分析,并探讨其如何进一步完善管理的对策。方法从2008年起,广东省将全省司法系统劳教所艾滋病感染者羁押人员大部分集中在佛山市三水区4所省属大型劳教所进行管理。通过一系列规范管理后,采用国家艾滋病防治督导评估的核心指标对其运作的现状进行评估,并对存在的问题提出对策。结果集中管理工作开展以来,劳教所各项艾滋病管理指标有显著提高。其中,劳教所艾滋病感染者随访率从2007年12月的64.42%上升到2010年12月的98.83%;CD4检测率则从24.04%上升96.44%。但是,仍存在抗病毒治疗滞后,出所后随访管理存在困难以及所内医疗卫生资源配置相对缺乏等问题。结论大型劳教所艾滋病羁押人员集中管理对有效落实羁押人员艾滋病关怀救助政策有良好的效果,但仍需进一步加大投入,完善所内医疗资源配置,制定配套政策,加强与地方卫生部门的合作。     

Health literacy and health-related knowledge among persons living with HIV/AIDS

BACKGROUND: Functional health literacy is associated with illness-related knowledge, understanding, and treatment perceptions for several chronic illnesses. This study examined health literacy in relation to knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS. METHODS: Persons living with HIV/AIDS recruited from AIDS service organizations and HIV clinics completed the Test of Functional Health Literacy for Adults (TOFHLA) reading comprehension scale and measures of health status, knowledge and understanding of health status, perceptions of primary care givers, and perceptions of anti-HIV treatments. RESULTS: Eighteen percent of the sample scored below the cutoff for marginal functional health literacy on the TOFHLA. Controlling for years of education, persons of lower health literacy were significantly less likely to have an undetectable HIV viral load, somewhat less likely to know their CD4 cell count and viral load, and lower health-literacy persons who knew their CD4 count and viral load were less likely to understand their meaning. Lower health literacy was also related to misperceptions that anti-HIV treatments reduce risks for sexually transmitting HIV and beliefs that anti-HIV treatments can relax safer-sex practices. CONCLUSIONS: Poor health literacy creates barriers to fully understanding one's health, illness, and treatments. Misperceptions of treatment in the case of HIV infection creates danger for potentially transmitting treatment-resistant strains of HIV. These results have implications for patient education and treatment programming for people who have poor health-literacy skills and are living with HIV/AIDS.     

归国劳务人员艾滋病相关知识宣传教育状况调查

〔目的〕为获取归国劳务人员关于艾滋病相关知识宣传教育等方面的情况,寻找归国劳务人员在艾滋病相关知识宣传教育等方面的缺失,探索适合出国劳务人员获取艾滋病相关知识的途径和防治等方面的具体方法和措施,为制定出国劳务人员的艾滋病防治策略提供依据。〔方法〕采用横断面调查研究的方式。在山东口岸11个国际旅行保健中心,单纯随机抽取前来进行健康体检的归国劳务人员,采用现场独立填写问卷的方式,对其艾滋病相关知识宣传教育等情况进行调查。采用SPSS12.0统计分析数据。〔结果〕86.40%的归国劳务人员在出国前接受过关于艾滋病相关知识的宣传教育,出国前在国际旅行卫生保健中心接受艾滋病相关知识宣传教育的占82.8%;被调查的归国劳务人员艾滋病相关知识的宣传教育在文化程度和前往各大洲方面无统计学意义(P0.01),但在前往国家方面具有统计学意义(P0.01),主要表现在前往哈萨克斯坦的人员在出国前均受过艾滋病相关知识的宣传教育;一些问题在性别、年龄和职业等方面有差异,表现为女性、年龄小和从事石油行业的人员接受艾滋病相关知识宣传教育的比例高。〔结论〕绝大多数归国劳务人员在出国前已接受艾滋病相关知识的宣传教育,前往国家是影响艾滋病相关知识宣传教育的主要因素;通过朋友或医生传授和学校教育获取艾滋病相关知识的比例普遍偏低,应加强以上两种途径的艾滋病相关知识宣传教育的力度。     

农村妇女艾滋病相关知识健康教育干预效果评价

目的：了解农村妇女艾滋病相关知识以及健康教育干预效果。方法：对湖北省老河口市5．4万农村妇女艾滋病相关知识进行健康教育干预，并以丹江口市作为对照，使用KAP和RAP调查方法进行效果评价。结果：干预前44．5％的农村妇女不知道艾滋病的严重性，46．6％的农村妇女不知道艾滋病是传染病，没有1人知道完整的艾滋病传播途径，81．5％的人不知道艾滋病的预防方法，干预后目标人群艾滋病相关正确知识知晓率有较大提高。结论：当前农村妇女对艾滋病主要相关知识认识较低，某些艾滋病相关知识健康教育干预效果明显。     

Intimate Partner Violence,Human Rights Violations,and HIV among Women in Nairobi,Kenya

This study presents qualitative results from a mixed-method investigation conducted between May and August 2012 into the prevalence and consequences of four forms of intimate partner violence among women living with HIV who attended the Comprehensive Care Clinic at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi. As a part of the research, a quantitative survey found that among 600 sexually active women living with HIV aged 18–69, all reported experiencing emotional abuse; 20%, 17%, and 15% experienced controlling behavior, physical violence, and sexual violence, respectively. Qualitative research using focus group discussions with 19 women from the quantitative survey sought to contextualize these experiences and place them within a larger social structure where institutionalized gender inequality sets the tone for intimate partner violence against women in households. Participants reported that intimate partner violence led to their exposure to the virus and made them leery of disclosing their positive status or seeking support from a male partner for fear of a violent reaction. This fear and the socio-structural conditions in Kenya limit their ability to actively pursue comprehensive care, the stress of which can exacerbate symptoms and make managing the disease more difficult.     

Evaluation of an intensive HIV/AIDS counselling course in Zimbabwe

The anticipated increase in the number of people with HIV infection and AIDS in Zimbabwe, together with those who have associated worries, will place extra demands upon clinical and counselling services in the coming decade. To meet these demands, a wide range of health care staff will have to acquire specialist counselling skills. For this reason, an intensive 2 day HIV/AIDS counselling training course was run at the Family Counselling Unit, Harare, in February 1989. The structure, content and evaluation of the course are presented here. Overall, the course was positively evaluated by the 38 trainees. However, a number of trainees were critical about some of the teaching methods and the degree of emphasis given to some of the objectives. Our experiences may help others in establishing HIV/AIDS counselling courses elsewhere.     

监狱服刑人员艾滋病知识、态度、行为调查及干预研究

对高危人群进行艾滋病 /性病健康教育 ,是控制艾滋病 /性病流行的有效措施之一 ,当前我国艾滋病防治形势严峻 ,加强多部门合作 ,在高危、重点、敏感人群中广泛开展健康教育和行为干预 ,积极发现和治疗艾滋病 /性病感染者以阻断其传播已成共识[1 ] 。监狱服刑人员成分复杂 ,是艾滋病防治的重点人群。为了解这一人群艾滋病知识、态度、行为及评价对其进行健康教育的效果 ,青岛市疾病预防控制中心于 2 0 0 2年 1 1月对本市一所监狱的服刑人员进行了行为干预 ,结果如下。对象与方法1 对象　青岛市一所监狱服刑人员 494人。均为男性 ,年龄在 1 8…     

Rethinking Gender, Heterosexual Men, and Women's Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS

Most HIV prevention literature portrays women as especially vulnerable to HIV infection because of biological susceptibility and men''s sexual power and privilege. Conversely, heterosexual men are perceived as active transmitters of HIV but not active agents in prevention. Although the women''s vulnerability paradigm was a radical revision of earlier views of women in the epidemic, mounting challenges undermine its current usefulness. We review the etiology and successes of the paradigm as well as its accruing limitations. We also call for an expanded model that acknowledges biology, gender inequality, and gendered power relations but also directly examines social structure, gender, and HIV risk for heterosexual women and men.Since the first cases of AIDS were diagnosed more than 25 years ago, the depiction of women in the scientific and political discourse of HIV/AIDS has dramatically transformed. Virtually invisible in the earliest phases of the US epidemic, then treated as stigmatized vectors of the virus, women were expected to protect themselves by insisting on male condom use—despite feminist recognition of the reasons this expectation would fail.^1,2 More recently and remarkably, the primary face of AIDS is a woman from the global south—a face deserving both sympathy and support, if not rescue.³ Meanwhile, men who have sex with women remain a forgotten group in the epidemic,⁴ almost entirely unaddressed in HIV prevention programs.How, why, and for whom did women become the primary vulnerable victims of the HIV epidemic? More important, does this transformation serve the current needs of those at risk for HIV? Here we consider the etiology and evolution of what we have termed the vulnerability paradigm, a model that has been latent within the research literature and policy lexicon, but a ubiquitous model^5–9 that we wish to name explicitly. According to this paradigm, women are susceptible to HIV because of biological differences in susceptibility, reduced sexual autonomy, and men''s sexual power and privilege. Conversely, heterosexual men are active transmitters of HIV but not active agents of prevention. The paradigm assumes not only that women (but not men) want to prevent HIV but lack the power to do so, but also that men are more likely than women to bring HIV into the partnership. The model tends to ignore how heterosexual men contracted HIV themselves and how variability in biosocial and cultural contexts influences women''s and men''s probability of infection if exposed.To be sure, both biological susceptibility and gendered power dynamics drastically disadvantage women worldwide. However, the vulnerability paradigm can also mask women''s power and agency. Moreover, the model assumes that women want to protect themselves, but men do not. Similarly, men, but not women, are presumed to engage deliberately in risky practices. Finally, the paradigm applies gendered, structural understandings and interventions to women''s behaviors⁹ but not to men''s, especially heterosexual men''s. Upwards of 70% of transmissions worldwide are now between a man and a woman,¹⁰ but programs and policies largely fail to include the prevention needs of men who have sex with women.     

上海市HIV感染者/AIDS病人心理健康状况研究

目的 运用症状自评量表（SCL-90）、抑郁自评量表（SDS）和焦虑自评量表（SAS）评价HIV感染者/AIDS病人心理健康状况.方法 对来自参加上海市静安区爱之家关怀活动的HIV感染者/AIDS病人和部分来自上海市公共卫生临床中心门诊部的136例HIV感染者/AIDS病人进行调查,采用基本信息表、SCL-90量表、SDS量表和SAS量表进行统一问卷调查,采用SPSS16.0进行统计分析.结果 HIV感染者/AIDS病人的心理健康状况明显比国内正常人群差,SCL-90总分、总均分及除人际关系因子分之外的各因子评分均高于全国常模（P＜0.001）,阳性症状总检出率超过40.0％;检出率较高的是抑郁、焦虑等症状,SDS总分为（53.73±12.93）分,高于国内常模（P＜0.001）,有60.3％的调查对象有抑郁症状;SAS总分为（48.79±8.76）分,高于国内常模（P＜0.001）,有41.9％的调查对象有焦虑症状.结论 针对HIV感染者/AIDS病人心理健康状况的现状,提出了在艾滋病防治工作中增加心理支持的内容,对HIV感染者/AIDS病人采用心理学量表进行筛查和评估,并根据其心理健康状况提供适宜的心理关爱和情感支持;加强医疗机构、疾病预防机构和专业心理咨询机构的合作,以便为HIV感染者/AIDS病人提供可及性更好更专业的心理健康支持服务.