Public Health Commons^™

The Influence Of Neurocognitive Impairment On Treatment Outcomes Among Drug-Involved People Living With Hiv/Aids, Ifeoma O. Ezeabogu

Master's Theses

Drug- and sex-related HIV risk behaviors and sub-optimal adherence to HIV medication regimens can jeopardize the health of HIV–infected injection drug users (IDUs) and threaten community health. Findings to date indicate that it is feasible to deliver a brief behavioral risk reduction/medication adherence group intervention to HIV-infected IDUs in a community-based setting. Being adherent to HAART or being able to successfully participate in behavioral interventions targeting adherence and harm reduction often requires a relatively high level of cognitive abilities. HIV infection and substance abuse are known to independently affect the central nervous system and this can result in neuro-cognitive impairment. …

Effectiveness Of A Pre-Release Planning Program For Hiv-Positive Offenders Exiting Georgia Prisons: A Qualitative Evaluation Approach, Claire A. Willeford

Public Health Theses

Background: Two-year nationwide prison recidivism rates stand at over 60%, and minorities and the poor are at greatest risk both of first-time incarceration and of offending repeatedly over time. Initiatives that may address prison inmates’ lack of resources and increase their success in their communities after release are now an important topic in the study of criminal justice policy. Over the course of the past two decades, the public health concern of HIV/AIDS has increasingly become a part of this discourse on re-entry, as the disease disproportionately affects minority communities both in and outside of prisons. Affected reentrants face not …

Factors Associated With Attendance In 12-Step Groups (Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous) Among Adults With Alcohol Problems Living With Hiv/Aids, John Orwat, Jeffrey Samet, Christopher Tompkins, Debbie Cheng, Michael Dentato, Richard Saitz

Michael P. Dentato, PhD, MSW

Perceived Stigma Among Patients Receiving Antiretroviral Treatment: A Prospective Randomised Trial Comparing An M-Dot Strategy With Standard-Of-Care In Kenya, Susan Kaai, Sandra Bullock, Avina Sarna, Matthew Chersich, Stanley Luchters, Scott Geibel, Kishorchandra Mandaliya, Marleen Temmerman, Naomi Rutenberg

Population Health, East Africa

HIV and AIDS remain highly stigmatised. Modified directly observed therapy (m-DOT) supports antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence but little is known about its association with perceived stigma in resource-constrained settings. In 2003, 234 HIV-infected adults enrolled in a two-arm randomised trial comparing a health centre-based m-DOT strategy with standard self-administration of ART. Data on perceived stigma were collected using Berger's HIV stigma scale prior to starting ART and after 12 months. This was a secondary analysis to examine whether perceived stigma was related to treatment delivery. Perceived stigma scores declined after 12 months of treatment from a mean of 44.9 (sd=7.6) …

A Comparative Analysis Of The Attitudes Towards People Living With Hiv/Aids Between Haiti And The Dominican Republic, Georges Perrin

Public Health Theses

BACKGROUND: HIV-related stigmatizing attitudes are persistent concerns in developing countries and have been shown to fuel the spread of the epidemics. The purpose of this study is to provide a comparative analysis between Haiti and the Dominican Republic in regards to the population’s attitude towards People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).

METHODS: Cross-sectional data from the Demographic Health Surveys involving 15,715 Haitians and 55,170 Dominicans from 2005 to 2007 were used. A score of attitudes was established from six items such as the willingness to care for infected relatives, the willingness to buy vegetables from an HIV infected vendor, the perception …

The President's Emergency Plan For Aids Relief (Pepfar): A Social Work Ethical Analysis And Recommendations, Robert J. Barney, Stephan L. Buckingham, Judith M. Friedrich, Lisa M. Johnson, Michael A. Robinson, Bibhuti K. Sar

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the most recent international social program instituted by the U.S. Government to combat HIV/AIDS. Since its inception in 2003, this foreign policy initiative has dedicated $63 billion for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in foreign countries. Despite PEPFAR's many accomplishments, it continues to promote controversial prevention strategies. This paper analyzes these prevention strategies, utilizing social work values as described in the NASW Code of Ethics. Policy, practice, and research implications are discussed.

Hiv Testing Experiences Of Aboriginal Youth In Canada: Service Implications, Catherine Worthington, Randy Jackson, Judy Mill, Tracey Prentice, Ted Myers, Susan Sommerfeldt

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

The objective of this study was to explore HIV testing experiences and service views of Canadian Aboriginal youth in order to provide information for HIV testing services. An exploratory, mixed-method, community-based research design was used for this study. Findings reported here are from 210 survey participants who had experienced an HIV test. Youth were recruited through 11 Aboriginal organizations across Canada, including AIDS service organizations, health centers, community organizations, and friendship centers. Youth who had tested for HIV ranged in age from 15 to 30 years of age (20% were B20), and came from First Nations (75%), Me ́ tis …

Awareness And Knowledge Of Hiv/Aids Among Female Indian University Students In South India And As Immigrants In The U.S.-Mexico Border Region, Thenral D. Mangadu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The prevention of HIV/AIDS is a major global public health goal. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that 33 million individuals are infected with HIV worldwide and over two million of these cases are from India. The main mode of transmission of HIV in India is heterosexual contact.

In the past decades there has been a steady increase in immigration rates from India to the U.S. Education and marriage are the main reasons for immigration from India to the U.S. In general, the frequently risky sexual and substance use behaviors of college students in …

Social Categories And Health Care Outcomes: African American Women And Hiv Survival In The Urban South, Alyson J. O'Daniel

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This ethnographic research examines the daily life and institutional conditions under which low-income Black women in urban North Carolina perceived and attended to HIV health-related needs. I focus specifically on the interplay among women’s living conditions, programmatic service needs, and their strategies for navigating the local system of care to explore and refine the categorical label “low income.” I found that there were significant differences among study participants in terms of their monthly incomes and financial resources, housing quality and status, and personal experiences with incarceration and substance abuse. The economic differences among women translated into social differences within the …

Factors Behind Hiv Testing Practices Among Canadian Aboriginal Peoples Living Off-Reserve, Treena Orchard, C. Mcinnes, K. Fernandes, M. Clement, M. Gilbert, V. Lima, J. Montaner, R. Hogg

Dr. Treena Orchard

The objective of this study was to examine factors associated with HIV testing among Aboriginal peoples in Canada who live off-reserve. Data were drawn for individuals aged 15–44 from the Aboriginal Peoples Survey (2001), which represents a weighed sample of 520,493 Aboriginal men and women living off-reserve. Bivariable analysis and logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with individuals who had received an HIV test within the past year. In adjusted multivariable analysis, female gender, younger age, unemployment, contact with a family doctor or traditional healer within the past year, and “good” or “fair/poor” self-rated health increased the odds …