AWARENESS AND LIFE STYLE ANALYSIS OF HIV INFECTED VICTIMS OF VINDHYA REGION

Abstract

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) was first reported in the United States in 1981 and has since become a major worldwide epidemic. AIDS (acquired immuno deficiency syndrome) is caused by HIV. The positive correlation between health and income has been one of the best-known relationships in human livelihood. Surprisingly, 67.2 percent HIV positive patients were aware of HIV and AIDS, 78.7 percent of were not aware of the transmission route of HIV almost 55 percent HIV positive patients spent less than 6 months with their life partners, 88 percent victims had very strong sexual urge while 70 percent respondents had positive attitude towards extra- marital relation in Vindhya region. It is opposite to the Indian culture and tradition where excessive sex (Washna) is considered as sinful act in much ourthological religious and spiritual texts.

Keywords

HIV, AIDS, Health, Income, Indian culture.

I. INTRODUCTION

HIV was first reported in the United States in 1981 and has since become a major worldwide epidemic. AIDS is caused by HIV. By killing or damaging cells of the body's immune system, HIV progressively destroys the body's ability to fight infections. Around 2.5 million peoples suffering from HIV infection in India (World Health Organization, 2007).The positive correlation between health and income has been one of the best-known relationships in human livelihood. This correlation is based on the casual link running from income to health(Strauss et al. 1998). Higher income provides greater command over many of goods and services. Higher income is also linked with better nutritional, educational, medical and recreational facilities. All these basic necessitates lead to access to good and safe quality of life. In a report published by World Bank in 1997 stated that poverty and unequal distribution of income is responsible to stimulate the spread of HIV infection.

II. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Field survey was conducted with the help of formally designed questionnaire. Sample size taken for the survey was 60. 30 rural and 30 urban samples were chosen randomly from the Rewa and Mauganj of Rewa district of Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh. Face to face interview with public health department officials, personnel of NGOs, doctors and social activists and CBOs working in the region was also conducted for the research work. For data analysis respective statistical tools used with the help of software like SPSS statistics.

III. SURVEY FINDINGS

When we surveyed the Vindhya region of Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh we came across some very interesting findings. We observed a strong relationship between marital condition and HIV infection. We found that 62 percent of the total AIDS victims surveyed by us were the married ones. It means that extra-marital relations are becoming more common in this region and people have more than one sex partners today.

IV. RESULT AND DISCUSSION

Source and degree of awareness:

Surprisingly, 67.2 percent HIV positive patients in Vindhya region were aware of HIV and AIDS. It is an indicator of ‘ignorance’ from their side. In is a very serious situation where people are aware of the danger but still taking risks.Our study shows that 67.5 percent HIV positive patients for the first time came to know about AIDS through word-ofmouth. 19.7 percent patients got information about AIDS through T.V, 8.2 percent from newspapers, and 4.9 percent patients got aware of HIV through Radio.

Table: Source of awareness.

Sample size: 60 TV- Television

Except word-of-mouth, all the other information sources are one way communication tools that give very preliminary information to the targeted groups.As far as word-of-mouth is concerned, unless it is triggered and delivered by experienced people, it may communicate the facts in highly distorted form that may lead to lot of misconceptions and misleading information; perhaps one of the reasons for that such a large number of aware people got victim of HIV in Vindhya reason.It is a serious issue of generation of misleading information and spread of distorted facts about HIV in the region, we studied. It is very serious matter that 93.4 percent AIDS victims of Vindhya region failed to apprehend any such risk of HIV infection beforehand. It is found that 78.7 percent of the total HIV infected victims were not aware of the transmission route of HIV. Only 21.3 percent were aware of the transmission routes of HIV. Similarly 98.4 percent of the total HIV infected victims were not aware of the sign and symptoms of HIV and 1.6 percent were aware of the sign and symptoms of HIV infection.It is found that 91.8 percent of the total HIV infected victims were not aware of the stages of HIV and 8.2 percent were aware of the stages of AIDS. It is found that 70.5 percent of the total HIV infected victims were not aware of the precautions of HIV and only, 29.5 percent were aware of the precautions of HIV.

Table: Degree of awareness among HIV infected victims.

Sample Size: 60

It is found that 93.4 percent of the total HIV infected victims were not aware of the remedies of HIV and 6.6 percent were aware of the t remedies of HIV. We found that people of Vindhya region of Rewa district of MP generally do not discuss the issues like HIV and AIDS with their life partners. Of 53 married HIV positive victims only one had discussed any topic related to AIDS and HIV infection with his/her life partner. Hypocrisy and social taboos prohibit this kind of discussions.

Life style analysis:

Life style analysis of HIV positive patients of Vindhya region of Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh shows that 32 percent of the total HIV positive patients used to spend less than 6 months with their life partners. We found that people spend less time with their life partner had greater change of getting HIV infected.As per our survey almost 55 percent HIV positive patients spent less than 6 months with their life partners. But, we also found that 45 percent AIDS victims spent more than 6 months with their life partners annually. That means, percentage of people who live throughout the year with their sex partners have also changes of becoming AIDS patient. That means, many people have now had more than one sex partner in their life. Seer deterioration in the moral values and social values is gradually prevailing the Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh, our study shows.

Table: Attitude towards physical relationship.

Sample size: 60

We found that 88 percent victims had very strong sexual urge and only 11 percent had moderate level of sexual urge. Their attitude towards sex life was very positive.It is opposite to the Indian culture and tradition where excessive sex (Washna) is considered as sinful act in much ourthological, religious and spiritual texts. In the Indian value system, Sex (Kama) is as bad as anger, arrogance, and greed. Celibacy and virginity kind of issues are now losing their relevance in today’s society of Vindhya region. The wave that originated in metro cities and other big cities is now gradually diluting the Indian sub urban areas as well. Living relations, homosexuality, polygamous and pre-marital sex are quite common now.Liberalized sex related views are quite responsible for the spread of HIV infection in the Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh

Table: Frequency of relations with the Life partner per month.

We found that sex life of HIV positive patients was not very satisfactory. We observed that 64 percent HIV positive married patents had sex relations with their life partners once or twice in a month only. That means people desire to have sexual relationships with other partners is quite high now. Many of the HIV infected persons were migrant labours and truck drivers who spent most of the time away from their family. Our study shows that those who frequently sex with their life partners had less chances of getting victim of HIV infection.

We observed that almost 70 percent respondents had positive attitude towards extra- marital relation. That mean, if they get opportunity, they would not hesitate to go for extra martial sexual relations. Now people candidly admit that they like extra marital sexual relations. May be it is one of the biggest reasons for rising HIV infection cases in the Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh. In the Vindhya region people read adult literature quite often. As per our research findings, large proportion of HIV positive patients was the regular readers of adult books. In remote areas of the country adult magazines are circulated through bus stops, railway stations and small book stalls. Teenagers and young adults move these adult magazines from one hand to another and unintentionally create a vicious network of sex literature readers, resulting in spread of homo sexuality and intra family sex relations.

Table: Frequency of watching porn video.

A finding that surprised us was the increasing viewership of porn videos. We found that 24.6 percent of the total HIV infected patients were the regular viewers of porn videos, and 23 percent were the non-regular ones.Now, internet and mobile phones both are providing easy excess to adult literature and porn videos, all over the India. Internet porn sites not only provide porn videos but are instrumental in developing contacts between sex workers and their clients.Today many porn sites are used by sex workers to hook their clients Earlier this activity was limited to big cities only but now it is heavily penetrating the small cities, sub urban areas and villages also. We found that almost 38 percent HIV/AIDS victims of Vindhya region of Rewa district downloaded sex texts and phonographs via mobile phones.

V. CONCLUSION

To conclude, HIV is fast spreading its wings in Rewa district of Vindhya Region of MP. It is observed that changed life style is one of the important reasons for it. Many of victims are aware of HIV but still ignore the precautionary measures. Their attitude towards sex life was very positive. Liberalized sex related views are quite responsible for the spread of HIV infection in the Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh.Impact of recent changes in life style, emergence of new media (internet, mobile phone etc.), deterioration in moral values, and stiff deviation from traditional Indian value system etc. on the increasing cases of HIV infection in the Vindhya Region, but these new challenged can to be overlooked however.

References

Strauss, John and Duncan Thomas (1998), Health, Nutrition and economic Development,” Journal of Economic Literature XXXVI: 786-817. World Bank (1997), Confronting AIDS: Public Priorities in a Global Epidemic Policy Research Report. Oxford University Press. World Health Organization (2007), 2.5 million people in India living with HIV, according to new estimates.