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Stigma, Social Norms, And Culture As Mediators Of Hiv And Aids Incidence In South Africa, Skyeisha Swain

Public Health Capstone Projects

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a significant global public health issue with 38.4 million individuals living with the virus in 2021. South Africa has experienced the world’s largest HIV epidemic across all regions, with 7.5 million individuals living the virus, 210,000 new infections and 51,000 related deaths, in 2021. Interventions have focused on targeting sexual behaviors and addressing mediators of HIV transmission, such as poverty, age, socioeconomic status, education, and gender. Despite a drop in HIV incidence, the virus is still having a negative impact on the continent. This paper highlights overlooked but essential mediators of HIV transmission in South …

Analysis Of Predictors Of Unmet Hiv-Related Support Services And Barriers To Needs Among Hiv-Infected Individuals In Georgia, Taylor Guffey

Public Health Theses

Introduction: Behavioral and medical interventions such as syringe exchange and anti-retroviral therapy have been successful in reducing the incidence and transmission of HIV and improving the longevity and quality of life of people with HIV/AIDS. However, there are an estimated 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States and only about 37% are retained in some form of HIV care. People living with HIV often have multiple comorbidities and other challenges that often require specialty care.

Methods: We used data from the Medical Monitoring Project to assess HIV-related supportive service needs among people living with HIV in Georgia …

An Examination Of The Differences In Risk Factors And Their Association With Variations In Hiv Prevalence Between Cameroon, Coted'ivoire, And Senegal, Lea Accalogoun

Public Health Theses

ABSTRACT

An Examination of the Differences in Risk Factors and their Association with Variations in HIV Prevalence between Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, and Senegal

(Under the direction of RICHARD ROTHENBERG, M.D., M.P.H. FACULTY

MEMBER)

Background: Extensive evidence suggests there are large variations in the prevalence of HIV infection among Sub-Saharan African countries. Some studies associated these variations in HIV prevalence to differences in the rate of HIV spread while others attributed the variations to risky sexual behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in risk factors for HIV infection between Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, and Senegal, to determine …

In Silico Analysis Shows That Single Aminoacid Variations In Rhesus Macacque Fcγreceptor Affect Protein Stability And Binding Affinity To Igg1, Rashesh Sanghvi

Biology Theses

Rhesus macaques are a widely used animal model of human diseases and related immune responses. Fc receptors (FcRs) mediate the interaction between antibody molecules and innate killing mechanisms, consequently eliminating the pathogen. In rhesus macaques, FcRs are highly polymorphic. To evaluate the potential influence of FcgR polymorphisms on the interaction with antibody molecules, we performed in silico analysis using SIFT, Provean, nsSNPAnalyzer, I-Mutant, MuSTAB and iPTREE-STAB web servers. V20G in FcγRI, I137K in FcγRII and I233V in FcγRIII were further analyzed structurally using FOLD-X, AMMP and Chimera to calculate changes in folding and interaction energy and for structure visualization. Results …

The Association Between Female Genital Mutilation (Fgm) And The Risk Of Hiv/Aids In Kenyan Girls And Women (15-49 Years), Rosemary G. Kinuthia

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: Kenya like the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be plagued with high rates of AIDS/HIV. Research has shown that cultural practices have serious implications for the spread of HIV/AIDS, as well as other communicable diseases. One of the practices that have been speculated to have an impact on AIDS/HIV is female genital mutilation (FGM). Despite efforts to eradicate the practice, prevalence of FGM in Kenya remains relatively high. Researchers have postulated that various forms of FGM may be associated with the spread of HIV/AIDS.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between FGM and …

Underneath The Rainbow: Queer Identity And Community Building In Panama City And The Florida Panhandle 1950 - 1990, Jerry T. Watkins Iii

History Theses

The decades after World War II were a time of growth and change for queer people across the country. Many chose to move to major metropolitan centers in order to pursue a life of openness and be part of queer communities. However, those people only account for part of the story of queer history. Other queer people chose to stay in small towns and create their own queer spaces for socializing and community building. The Gulf Coast of Florida is a place where queer people chose to create queer community where they lived through such actions as private house parties …

Hiv/Aids Relative Survival And Mean Residual Life Analysis, Xinjian Zhang

Mathematics Theses

HIV/Aids Relative Survival and Mean Residual Life Analysis BY XINJIAN ZHANG Under the Direction of Gengsheng (Jeff) Qin and Ruiguang (Rick) Song ABSTRACT Generalized linear models with Poisson error were applied to investigate HIV/AIDS relative survival. Relative excess risk for death within 3 years after HIV/AIDS diagnosis was significantly higher for non-Hispanic blacks, American Indians and Hispanics compared with Whites. Excess hazard for death was also higher in men injection drug users compared with men who have sex with men (MSM). The relative excess hazard of old HIV/AIDS patients is significantly higher compared with younger patients. When CD4 increased, the …

Hiv And Psychological Functioning Among Black South African Women: An Examination Of Psychosocial Moderating Variables, Gretchen K. Lindner

Psychology Dissertations

Introduction: South Africa has an HIV-infection rate of 5 million people. Between 1995 and 2005, South Africa is expected to have the highest number of AIDS-related deaths on the African continent, a total of 2.7 million. Many infected individuals are women. However, there is very little research conducted with South African women examining the relationship between HIV-infection and psychological distress. Research conducted in the United States indicates that HIV-infection is associated with increased rates of depression and anxiety. This research project aims to explore the relationship between HIV-infection and psychological functioning in the unique socio-political context of South Africa. In …

Risky Sexual Behavior Among African-American Men Who Have Sex With Men: The Effects Of Peer Norms For Condom Use On Risky Sexual Behavior As Moderated By Socio-Demographic, Socio-Contextual, And Health-Related Variables, Christopher Scott Holliday

Psychology Theses

This study examined contextual influences on the relationship between peer norms for condom use and risky sexual behavior among African-American men who have sex with men. Analyses assessed the moderating effects of socio-demographic, socio-contextual, and health-related variables. One thousand forty African-American men, who have sex with men, ages 17 to 25 years, were surveyed as part of the Community Intervention Trial for Youth (CITY) from 1999 to 2002 in Atlanta, Georgia. Findings supported the hypothesis that participants who engaged in unprotected insertive anal intercourse, socio-contextual variables moderated the relationship between peer norms and risky sexual behavior. Findings also supported the …