An estimated 1.2 million adults and adolescents are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States and approximately 50,000 are newly infected each year. If HIV is left untreated, the disease will eventually progress to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV continues to be a concern in public health, yet the public perception about the severity of the HIV epidemic has declined in recent years. Although research suggests that college students are highly educated on modes of transmission for HIV, they continue to practice risky sexual behaviors that will increase their risk of HIV transmission. The researchers in this study utilized a descriptive, non-experimental, quantitative design to determine college students' knowledge regarding HIV and their willingness to be tested for HIV. Data analysis revealed that college age students were not knowledgeable of HIV. Findings revealed a great need for further education regarding HIV knowledge and HIV testing among college students in the southeastern United States.
Thousands of HIV-positive women give birth every year. Further, because many pregnant women are not tested for HIV and therefore do not receive treatment, the number of children born with HIV is still unacceptably high. What can we do to eliminate this tragic and costly inheritance? In response to a congressional request, this book evaluates the extent to which state efforts have been effective in reducing the perinatal transmission of HIV. The committee recommends that testing HIV be a routine part of prenatal care, and that health care providers notify women that HIV testing is part of the usual array of prenatal tests and that they have an opportunity to refuse the HIV test. This approach could help both reduce the number of pediatric AIDS cases and improve treatment for mothers with AIDS. Reducing the Odds will be of special interest to federal, state, and local health policymakers, prenatal care providers, maternal and child health specialists, public health practitioners, and advocates for HIV/AIDS patients. January
Increased HIV screening may help identify more people with the disease, but there may not be enough resources to provide them with the care they need. The Institute of Medicine's Committee on HIV Screening and Access to Care concludes that more practitioners must be trained in HIV/AIDS care and treatment and their hospitals, clinics, and health departments must receive sufficient funding to meet a growing demand for care.
The Sub-Saharan Africa region has been more severely affected by AIDS than any other part of the world. The United Nations reported that 26.6 million adults and children are infected with the HIV virus in this region, which has about 10% of the world's population but two thirds of the worldwide total of infected people. The overall rate of infection among adults in Sub-Saharan Africa is 7.5%-8.5%, compared with 1.1% worldwide. AIDS has surpassed malaria as the leading cause of death in Africa and it kills many times more Africans than war. Experts relate the severity of the African AIDS epidemic to the region's poverty. The annual domestic and international expenditure on HIV/AIDS program in Nigeria has been estimated at over $US 400 million, most of which are donated by international and local bilateral government and non-governmental organizations. For most of these expenditures, the evaluation criteria for measuring effectiveness are enshrined in annual percentage changes among adults and children with advanced HIV infection receiving antiretroviral therapy; among women and men who returned for their test results after receiving HIV test; among adults aged 15-49 who reported the use of condom during their last intercourse, or among men reporting the use of condom the last time they had anal sex with a male partner. There are, however, very minimal evaluation reports of the hundreds of education, information, and services developed and implemented by various entities within the social societies in the country to change attitude, behavior or enhance knowledge of Nigerian communities about the disease. This study, therefore, developed a primary purpose to demonstrate that properly planned and carefully executed awareness training programs could, possibly, provide positive effects on the knowledge, attitude, and behavior of young college students regarding HIV/AIDS. A secondary purpose assembled, through literature research, a body of evidence-based knowledge and expenditures on HIV/AIDS that will foster greater awareness among health care providers and other authorities in Nigeria about the importance of evaluation in the arsenals of tools to combat the spread of the disease. Although the three null hypotheses of the study that participation in a HIV/AIDS awareness training program will not improve the attitude, knowledge and behavior of participants after participation in the program were statistically vindicated, the study provided enough evidence-based information to alert government and non-governmental stake holders that the international flow of funds for HIV/AIDS will not continue indefinitely. The three null hypotheses of the study that participation in HIV/AIDS awareness training program will not improve the attitude, knowledge and behavior of participants after participation in the program were statistically accepted. There were, however, percentage changes in participants' pre- and post- intervention knowledge, attitude and behavior data demonstrating that the training did have some positive effects on participants. Recommendations were made about the importance of program evaluations to assess effectiveness, and avoid replicating ineffective programs. Pitfalls to avoid when conducting this type of evaluation especially as an external evaluator were also highlighted.
Europe's "Black Death" contributed to the rise of nation states, mercantile economies, and even the Reformation. Will the AIDS epidemic have similar dramatic effects on the social and political landscape of the twenty-first century? This readable volume looks at the impact of AIDS since its emergence and suggests its effects in the next decade, when a million or more Americans will likely die of the disease. The Social Impact of AIDS in the United States addresses some of the most sensitive and controversial issues in the public debate over AIDS. This landmark book explores how AIDS has affected fundamental policies and practices in our major institutions, examining: How America's major religious organizations have dealt with sometimes conflicting values: the imperative of care for the sick versus traditional views of homosexuality and drug use. Hotly debated public health measures, such as HIV antibody testing and screening, tracing of sexual contacts, and quarantine. The potential risk of HIV infection to and from health care workers. How AIDS activists have brought about major change in the way new drugs are brought to the marketplace. The impact of AIDS on community-based organizations, from volunteers caring for individuals to the highly political ACT-UP organization. Coping with HIV infection in prisons. Two case studies shed light on HIV and the family relationship. One reports on some efforts to gain legal recognition for nonmarital relationships, and the other examines foster care programs for newborns with the HIV virus. A case study of New York City details how selected institutions interact to give what may be a picture of AIDS in the future. This clear and comprehensive presentation will be of interest to anyone concerned about AIDS and its impact on the country: health professionals, sociologists, psychologists, advocates for at-risk populations, and interested individuals.
This unique and comprehensive title offers state-of-the-art guidance on all of the clinical principles and practices needed in providing optimal health and well-being services for college students. Designed for college health professionals and administrators, this highly practical title is comprised of 24 chapters organized in three sections: Common Clinical Problems in College Health, Organizational and Administrative Considerations for College Health, and Population and Public Health Management on a College Campus. Section I topics include travel health services, tuberculosis, eating disorders in college health, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among college students, along with several other chapters. Subsequent chapters in Section II then delve into topics such as supporting the health and well-being of a diverse student population, student veterans, health science students, student safety in the clinical setting, and campus management of infectious disease outbreaks, among other topics. The book concludes with organizational considerations such as unique issues in the practice of medicine in the institutional context, situating healthcare within the broader context of wellness on campus, organizational structures of student health, funding student health services, and delivery of innovative healthcare services in college health. Developed by a renowned, multidisciplinary authorship of leaders in college health theory and practice, and coinciding with the founding of the American College Health Association 100 years ago, Principles and Practice of College Health will be of great interest to college health and well-being professionals as well as college administrators.
Cervical Cancer is one of the leading cancers among women, especially in developing countries. Prevention and control are the most important public health strategies. Empowerment of women, education, "earlier" screening by affordable technologies like visual inspection, and treatment of precancers by cryotherapy/ LEEP are the most promising interventions to reduce the burden of cervical cancer.Dr Rajamanickam Rajkumar had the privilege of establishing a rural population based cancer registry in South India in 1996, as well as planning and implementing a large scale screening program for cervical cancer in 2000. The program was able to show a reduction in the incidence rate of cervical cancer by 25%, and reduction in mortality rate by 35%. This was the greatest inspiration for him to work on cerrvical cancer prevention, and he edited this book to inspire others to initiate such programs in developing countries. InTech - Open Access Publisher plays a major role in this crusade against cancer, and the authors have contributed to it very well.
The United States has the dubious distinction of leading the industrialized world in overall rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), with 12 million new cases annually. About 3 million teenagers contract an STD each year, and many will have long-term health problems as a result. Women and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to these diseases and their health consequences. In addition, STDs increase the risk of HIV transmission. The Hidden Epidemic examines the scope of sexually transmitted infections in the United States and provides a critical assessment of the nation's response to this public health crisis. The book identifies the components of an effective national STD prevention and control strategy and provides direction for an appropriate response to the epidemic. Recommendations for improving public awareness and education, reaching women and adolescents, integrating public health programs, training health care professionals, modifying messages from the mass media, and supporting future research are included. The book documents the epidemiological dimensions and the economic and social costs of STDs, describing them as "a secret epidemic" with tremendous consequences. The committee frankly discusses the confusing and often hypocritical nature of how Americans deal with issues regarding sexualityâ€"the conflicting messages conveyed in the mass media, the reluctance to promote condom use, the controversy over sex education for teenagers, and the issue of personal blame. The Hidden Epidemic identifies key elements of effective, culturally appropriate programs to promote healthy behavior by adolescents and adults. It examines the problem of fragmentation in STD services and provides examples of communities that have formed partnerships between stakeholders to develop integrated approaches. The committee's recommendations provide a practical foundation on which to build an integrated national program to help young people and adults develop habits of healthy sexuality. The Hidden Epidemic was written for both health care professionals and people without a medical background and will be indispensable to anyone concerned about preventing and controlling STDs.
