Browsing by Subject "AIDS (Disease)"
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Item Are HIV prevention programs effective in addressing rising HIV/AIDS rates among Central Asian labor migrants?(2011-05) Fleming, Thomas Rolland; Neuburger, Mary, 1966-; Weinreb, AlexanderWithin the last ten years HIV rates in Central Asia have more than quadrupled amongst the general population. Labor migrants from the region who are working in Russia are considered at high risk of HIV infection due to risky sexual practices. Similar behavior has been documented among labor migrants in sub Saharan Africa. By reviewing medical data and literature written by international health professionals in both regions, I analyze the chain of sexual contact of labor migrants within female partners that contribute to the spread of HIV from Russia to the general population within Central Asia. I use Tajikistan as a case study. The findings of this study recommend that existing behavior modification strategies need to recognize existing gender structures when addressing at risk populations. They must also emphasize collaboration with community religious leaders and civil society organizations to promote effective and appropriate HIV/AIDS education efforts in order to curb the growing prevalence rates among male labor migrants in Central Asia.Item Attitudes of family therapists toward AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), persons with AIDS, and homosexuals(Texas Tech University, 1989-08) Green, Shelley KAcquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has in only a few years become the nation's major public health threat, and one which impacts on families in a multitude of ways. This disease has been associated most closely with homosexuals and intravenous drug users in this country, groups which have already experienced a great deal of stigmatization. Public attitudes toward persons with AIDS (PWAs) have often been negative and judgmental. This study assessed current attitudes of family therapists toward PWAs. It is believed that family therapists are one group of professionals who will have responsibility for treating PWAs and their families. Survey data collected from a random sample of clinical members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy are presented. Specifically, the study addressed the following hypotheses: 1) There is a significant relationship between therapists' attitudes toward PWAs and knowledge regarding AIDS; 2) there is a significant relationship between therapists' attitudes toward PWAs, level of knowledge regarding AIDS, and level of contact with both homosexuals and PWAs; 3) there is a significant relationship between therapists' attitudes toward PWAs and therapists' theoretical orientation. Results indicated that the first two hypotheses were supported. Therapists who had a higher degree of knowledge regarding AIDS expressed less phobic attitudes toward PWAs. Additionally, therapists who had a greater amount of contact with homosexuals and PWAs in therapeutic and personal relationships expressed less phobic attitudes toward PWAs. The third hypothesis was not supported, as no significant differences in attitudes were found between therapists of differing theoretical orientation. These results have important implications for training/educational programs and institutions which seek to prepare family therapists to work with this population. Knowledge is a critical component in enhancing the quality of care provided to PWAs and their families. However, increased knowledge must not be regarded as an encompassing solution. Contact with the target population and a comfort level in dealing with PWAs are also crucial in effective treatment. The field of family therapy faces a difficult task in treating PWAs and their families. These findings may enhance the ability of training and educational programs to respond in a humane and therapeutic manner to this crisis.Item Contraceptive use and AIDS protective sexual behaviors in the era of AIDS(Texas Tech University, 1996-05) Pettit, Barbara L.Contraceptive behavior has been an important area of study for many years due to ever increasing rates of unwanted pregnancies. Many variables have been found to be related to contraceptive behaviors. In the area of HIV protective sexual behavior, however, the search for variables predicting these behaviors has just begun in the last twelve to fifteen years. The current study attempted to combine variables important in both areas of study in order to yield a more accurate prediction of HIV protective sexual behaviors. Additionally, the Health Belief Model was used to organize the literature pertaining to contraceptive and HIV protective sexual behavior and the variables which have been associated with these behaviors. It was found that many of these variables, both individually and in combination, are associated with contraceptive and AIDS protective behavior. Support was found for the external modifiers of social network influences, religiosity, and substance use; the internal modifiers of sexual self efficacy, the love attitudes Eros, Ludus, Storge, and Agape, the sex attitudes Permissiveness, Sexual Practices, and Instrumentality; and barriers and benefits.Item HIV/AIDS Mortality Differential Across Provinces in Kenya and Through Time(Texas Tech University, 2004-12) Adari, Johnson Samuel; Rahnama, MashaHIV/AIDS mortality differential across provinces in Kenya and through time.Item Pharmaceutical governance in Brazil : globalization, institutions and AIDS(2010-12) Flynn, Matthew Brian; Roberts, Bryan R., 1939-; Buckley, Cynthia J.; Ward, Peter; Ugalde, Antonio; Charrad, Mounira; Wilson, RobertThe Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) represents one of the biggest challenges facing today's globalized world. Meanwhile, transnational drug companies have strengthened their market positions in developing countries as a result of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (or TRIPS). Patent protection provided by TRIPS has led to higher prices and reduced access to essential medicines. Low- and middle-income countries are under increased pressure to provide expensive life-saving medicines to their citizens. Brazil's AIDS program is deemed successful in reducing morbidity and mortality rates through universal provision of free AIDS medicines. The program's sustainability came under threat as the result of TRIPS, pressures by transnational corporations, and trade threats by the US government. The research question that drove my dissertation centered on the impact of these threats on policy space available to Brazilian government to sustain its universal social program. How has the incorporation of patent protections for drugs affected the ability of local firms to develop pharmaceutical technology and challenged states like Brazil to fulfill social democratic obligations? Under what conditions can a developing country challenge the interests of transnational drug companies? I employed mixed methods for gathering and analyzing data. These included ethnographic field techniques, content analysis, and archival research. My findings are threefold. First, TRIPS has increased the power of foreign firms to secure monopoly positions in Brazil’s drug markets and weakened Brazil's labs to quickly make generic copies of essential medicines. Second, policy space, though curtailed due to external pressures and treaty obligations, expanded through the development of symbolic power, or what I call "reputational dividends," based on a successful social program. Third, by adroitly marketing its banner AIDS program by employing human rights principles, health officials constructed a triple alliance between the state, local private drug manufacturers, and domestic activists tied into transnational advocacy networks. I employ institutional and power analyses to examine the changing sources of power for transnational capital, social movements, and state actors, as well as analyze the impact patent protection has on the ability of Brazilian firms to produce medicines locally. I posit that globalization results in the formation of strong domestic coalitions who are capable of exploiting the "reputational dividends" of a successful social program in order to contest transnational corporate power. This symbolic form of power appears particularly well-disposed for "middle-income" countries that lack the material forms of power held by a global hegemon or transnational corporations.Item The media coverage of AIDS: responses from the community most affected(Texas Tech University, 1985-12) Lewter, Dean W.Not available