The identification of community needs for AIDS health education

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Date
1997-09
Authors
Khokho, Sylvia Rejoice Olebile
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Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
English: AIDS is a fatal disease which mostly affects the economically productive age-group (25-50 years). It therefore adversely affects the economy of the country. It is also expensive to treat as it affects the immune system of the body, thereby rendering the person critically ill and requiring intense and expensive nursing and medical care. AIDS is also seen as a disease of attitude and behaviour, as it is closely associated with sexual behaviour, where a person has more than one sexual partner. This practice, in the form of polygamy (as seen today) and concubinage, is still accepted as normal cultural practice in most black communities in spite of the effect of social change on many tribal customs. There is a drastic increase in the number of persons infected with AIDS in spite of existing efforts to combat the disease. This increase is not specific to a particular racial group, country, community or town. It is a worldwide problem. However, most new cases of AIDS are found among the black population. Health education seems to be the only strategy available as a measure for controlling the spread of AIDS in the absence of a cure. There is therefore a definite need to investigate the requirements for the development of a health education program for the control of AIDS. The aim of this study was to identify the needs of the community for AIDS health education. This entailed eliciting their perceptions of AIDS, establishing their preference regarding the AIDS educator, identifying topics/aspects to be addressed in the educational program, as well as establishing principles with which ethnicspecific health educational programs should comply to be acceptable to communities. Interviews were conducted with clients visiting health services In Mangaung. Trained fieldworkers were used to help with the implementation of the structured interview schedule. The data were analysed and the findings were compared and discussed in terms of the literature review. Reliability of the data collection instrument was ensured by training fieldworkers to ask questions correctly. The conduction of a pilot study to identify possible problems and address these before the major study helped to ensure reliability. For the purpose of validity, the interview schedule was submitted to experts in research. This ensured face validity. Content validity was ensured by submitting the measuring instrument to a domain expert. It was also handed to an expert working at the AIDS Training, Information and Counselling Centre (ATICC) for evaluation. These experts were asked to evaluate the interview schedule in terms of whether the questions were correctly and objectively worded and whether they matched the objectives of the study. Conclusions and recommendations were made and guidelines, based on findings, were set for the development of a health education program for the control of AIDS.
Afrikaans: VIGS is 'n terminale siekte wat hoofsaaklik die ekonomies produktiewe ouderdomsgroep (25-50 jaar) affekteer. Dit het dus 'n negatiewe invloed op die ekonomie van die land. Dit is ook duur om te behandel aangesien dit die immuunsisteem van die liggaam aantas. Lyers word kritiek siek en benodig intensiewe en duur verpleegkundige en mediese sorg. VIGS word ook as 'n siekte van houding en gedrag beskou, aangesien dit met seksuele gedrag in gevalle waar 'n persoon meer as een seksmaat het, verbind word. Ten spyte van die effek van sosiale verandering op vele stamgebruike word hierdie praktyk, in die vorm van veelwywery en konkubinaat, steeds as normale kulturele praktyk in die meeste swart gemeenskappe aanvaar. Ten spyte van die huidige pogings om die siekte te bekamp is daar 'n drastiese toename in die aantal persone wat met VIGS besmet is. Die toename is nie tot In spesifieke bevolkingsgroep, land, gemeenskap of dorp beperk nie. Dit is 'n wêreldwye probleem. Daar is egter bevind dat die meeste nuwe gevalle van VIGS onder die swart bevolking voorkom. In die afwesigheid van 'n geneesmiddel wil dit voorkom of gesondheidsvoorligting die enigste beskikbare strategie is om die verspreiding van VIGS te bekamp. Daar is dus 'n besliste nood aan navorsing insake die behoefte aan die ontrwikkeling van 'n gesondheidsvoorligtingsprogram vir die beheer van VIGS. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die behoeftes van die gemeenskap van Mangaung aan VIGS voorligting te identifiseer. Dit het behels dat hul persepsies van VIGS en hul voorkeur ten opsigte van voorligters vasgestel moes word. Onderwerpe/aspekte wat in die voorligtingsprogram aangespreek moes word, asook beginsels waaraan 'n etnies-spesifieke gesondheidsvoorligtingsprogram moet voldoen om vir die gemeenskap aanvaarbaar te wees, moes ook nagevors word. Onderhoude is gevoer met kliënte wat die gesondheidsdienste in Mangaung besoek het. Opgeleide assistente is gebruik om met die administrasie van die gestruktureerde onderhoudskedule te help. Die data is ontleed en die bevindinge is met 'n literatuurstudie vergelyk en bespreek. Die betroubaarheid van die dataversamelingsinstrument is verseker deur assistente op te lei om die vrae korrek te stel. Die loodsstudie om moontlike probleme te identifiseer en aan te spreek voordat die hoofstudie aangepak is, het gehelp om betroubaarheid te verseker. Die onderhoudskedule is aan navorsingskundiges voorgelê om gesigsgeldigheid te verseker. Inhoudsgeldigheid is verseker deur die meetinstrument aan die studieleier, wat In kundige op die gebied van VIGS is, voor te lê. 'n Domeinkundige wat by die VIGS Opleiding, - Inligtings en Beradingsentrum werk is ook gevra om die instrument te evalueer. Die kundiges is gevra om die instrument te beoordeel in terme van die korrektheid en objektiwiteit van die vrae en of dit aan die doelwitte van die studie voldoen. Gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings IS gemaak en riglyne, op die bevindinge gebaseer, is vir die ontwikkeling van 'n gesondheidsvoorligtingsprogram vir die beheer van VIGS gestel.
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AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa -- Prevention, Health education, Community education -- South Africa, Dissertation (M.Soc.Sc. (Nursing))--University of the Free State, 1997
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