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The purpose of this paper is to identify the potential socio-cultural determinants contributing to inequalities and the susceptibility of the Ojek to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection.

In 2010 a qualitative enquiry was employed to collect data concerning the susceptibility of the Ojek to HIV infection. Both one-on-one open-ended in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were employed. Participants included Ojek (hired motorcycle drivers), religious and community leaders, staff from the HIV/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Commission of Belu and staff from two HIV/AIDS non-governmental organisations. A thematic analysis and a framework approach were used to analyse the data.

The findings showed four socio-cultural determinants of susceptibility to HIV infection within the Ojek community. These included: first, mobility and migration; second, patterns of sexual behaviours, sexual networks and sexual incentives; third, cultural norms and social interactions; and fourth, the lack of resources, knowledge and awareness of HIV/AIDS. Underpinned by these factors, the main determinant of HIV susceptibility for the Ojek is an individual’s engagement in sexual intercourse with multiple sex partners, including female commercial sex workers (FCSWs).

There is a need to disseminate HIV/AIDS information and education throughout the Ojek communities, and to engage the general population in the promotion of sexual behavioural change among the Ojek in Belu. Empowerment strategies should also be employed to empower the general community, the Ojek and FCSWs in order to address HIV/AIDS transmission.

This paper provides evidence of the socio-cultural determinants of HIV inequalities within the Ojek community in Indonesia. An understanding of these determinants would enable the planning, implementation and application of a holistic approach addressing the determinants of HIV in Belu and other similar settings. Additionally, knowledge of such determinants would provide an understanding of the role of inter-sectoral collaboration and community participation in tackling the susceptibility to HIV infection within the Ojek community.

The purpose of the study is to assess the nutritional and health status of people living with HIV/AIDS (18-60 years) in selected health facilities in the eastern region of Ghana and to determine the influence nutrition support programmes (NSP) have on the nutritional and health status of people living with HIV/AIDS.

A retrospective study design was used. Purposive and convenience sampling was used to select four hospitals and 200 beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of the NSP. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the sociodemographic, anthropometric, biochemical and clinical history of the participants. Dietary intake was assessed with food frequency and 24-h dietary intake questionnaires. Previous data from the medical record within three to six months before the research was collected and compared with current data.

The prevalence of underweight (using body mass index) was 17 per cent and overweight/obesity was 37 per cent. Most respondents had adequate consumption of phosphorus (70.5 per cent); inadequate intake of calcium (95 per cent), vitamin E (77.5 per cent) and vitamin A (94 per cent); and excess intakes of sodium (93 per cent), selenium (77 per cent), copper (83.5 per cent) and manganese (76 per cent). There was no significant difference in nutrient intake of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of the NSP, although there were significant differences in the frequency of consumption of fruits (p < 0.001), vegetables (p < 0.001), legumes (p = 0.002), animal foods (p < 0.001) and cereals, grains and starch (p < 0.001) between beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of NSP. About 38 and 20 per cent of respondents, respectively, had low haemoglobin (Hb < 11 g/dL) and high viral load (1,000 cp/mL). Comparing the current and previous (three to six months before the study) health and nutritional status of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of NSP, among the beneficiaries of NSP, monocytes increased by 40.6 per cent (p = 0.028) and mean weight decreased by 2.4 per cent (p = 0.007), Hb decreased by 7.1 per cent (p = 0.27) and viral load decreased by 4.2 per cent (p = 0.49), whereas among the non-beneficiaries, mean weight decreased by 0.05 per cent (p = 0.95) and Hb increased by 9.6 per cent (p = 0.06) and monocytes increased (p = 0.28) and viral load increased by 98.2 per cent (p = 0.34).

A significant proportion of people living with HIV/AIDS had a high prevalence of underweight and overweight/obesity, inadequate nutrients intake and high viral load. The NSP for people living with HIV/AIDS in the eastern region of Ghana did not significantly influence the nutritional and health status of these people.

Knowing the nutritional status will help health institutions plan activities towards improving the health and nutritional status of people living with HIV/AIDS. This research is aimed at not only contributing to the existing body of knowledge but also making recommendations of action towards improving NSPs of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Improvement in nutritional and health status of people living with HIV/AIDS will help reduce morbidity and mortality and its related cost to families, communities and the nation.

This study is first to determine the influence of NSPs on nutritional and health status of people living with HIV/AIDS in the eastern region of Ghana.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the prevalence and factors associated with safe sex behavior among vocational students in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand, and to determine the modifying factors listed as socio-demographic characteristic, the level of HIV and sexually transmitted infections’ knowledge, attitude toward reproductive health, and safe sex behavior among vocational students in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand.

A cross-sectional descriptive research was conducted from August to October 2018. The multistage stratified sampling, combined with purpose and random sampling, was used to select the participants. One vocational college with the highest number from urban, suburban and rural areas was purposely selected. The sample calculation by using Cochran’s formula, a random sampling by drawing from each college with male and female, was made to obtain the sample size of 355 students. Inclusion criteria included: vocational students, both male and female, aged between 15 and 19 years, resided in the study area, and volunteered to participate. Ethical consent including waiver of the parent’s consent for the participant aged under 18 years for this study was approved by the Institution Review Board for Human Research Ethics, Chulalongkorn University (Certification number JV 823/2561) A self-administered questionnaire was adapted by the principle researcher from the illustrative questionnaire for interview survey with young people (14), and The study of Prevalence of HIV, STD, Drug Use and Risk Behaviors in Adolescents and Young Adults, in Chaing Rai, Thailand (PRAYA) tool (15). All statistical analyses were performed by SPSS version 22.

The finding revealed that 332 participants were male (57.8 percent) and female (42.2 percent) with an average age of 16.8 years (±1.7). Approximately 60 percent of males and 50 percent of females had experience of sexual intercourse, with their first experience of sexual intercourse at the average age of 15. Most respondents 63.1 percent used a condom and 63.6 percent used contraception in their latest sexual intercourse. About 41.9 percent consumed alcohol and 15 percent reported substance abused. Sexual intercourse among adolescents vocational students were significantly associated with high knowledge of contraception (OR=0.30, 95%CI=0.10–0.82). Positive attitude toward reproductive health had a significant association with sexual intercourse (OR=0.17, 95%CI=0.05–0.58). Sexual intercourse among vocational students were also significant associated with low risk behavior (OR=0.45, 95%CI=0.22–0.91) and high risk behaviors (OR=0.24, 95% CI=0.10–0.59). Contraceptive used in the latest sexual intercourse had a significant association with cues to action (OR=0.43, 95% CI=0.22–0.86).

This study used a self-reported questionnaire to collect information from participants about safe sex behaviors, which might contain bias data and socially desirable answers. The time for collecting data did not match vocational students’ schedule as they were about to have their final exams. An error in this questionnaire was the absence of condom use as one of the contraception methods.

The study showed that both male and female vocational students in Nakhon Ratchasima have a low level of knowledge of HIV, STIs and contraception. This study revealed that females have higher knowledge of all the factors more than males. Males usually received more harassment from peers for being sexually active than females do. Condoms and contraceptive used are inconsistent in all research conducted and have no common ground. Communication related to sex for those who have no partner was poor compared to students who have a partner. The four factors associated with safe sex behaviors should always be considered and surveyed among vocational students, as the study showed that all results vary for a future adolescence study.

This research aims at government authorities. The policy makers should include reproductive health and rights in the curriculum. The Ministry of Public health and The Ministry of Education should provide training for the trainer program for teachers concerning safe sex behaviors. For future research, in-depth interview and qualitative study should be used to increase the reliability of the result of the inconsistency of using a condom and contraception. The researcher should do further studies into vocational college semester schedules before collecting data and should spend more time in the college, so the students become more acquainted to the researcher and give a more truthful answer. Moreover, condom use should be added as one of the contraception methods.

This is the first study among vocational students in Nakhon Ratchasima Province which emphasizes specifically on safe sex behaviors and factors related to it. Regarding the population of vocational students, this study covers almost 80 percent of the population. Sensitive questions for sexual activity status and sexually history were answered by a self-administered questionnaire in order to increase sincere answers on their experiences because participants were not shy to disclose their sexual experiences.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of visible body piercings (VBP) in explaining the extent of self‐reported workplace sexual orientation discrimination.

Using the 2002 wave of the UK Gay Mens’ Sex Survey, OLS and logit equations are estimated to analyse the extent of self‐reported denial of job opportunities.

The possession of visible body piercings is shown to increase the level of discriminatory activity. There is evidence that tongue piercings are the major contributory type of body decoration. The overall effect is seemingly ameliorated for those gay men who engage in more extensive concealment effort with regard to their sexual orientation.

The sample is to some extent self‐selecting, which may affect the results. Further studies using alternative methodologies would be required to explore this issue.

This paper sheds light on the importance, or otherwise, of presumed visual clues such as body piercing in triggering discriminatory behaviour towards gay men.

This is the first study to examine the self‐reported experience of post‐entry discrimination by gay men using a major national survey comprising over 15,000 observations.

Using a health belief model (HBM), this study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Iranian midwives in relation to HIV/AIDS protection behavior and to determine the needs of interventional programs for promotion of the behavior among midwives of maternity care units.

This was a cross‐sectional study in five selected hospitals in Isfahan. All 58 midwifery personnel of maternity wards of these hospitals participated in the study. Tools for data collection were a checklist to assess midwives' practice and a questionnaire to assess knowledge, attitude, and the HBM of midwives about HIV/AIDS‐protection methods.

A total of 58 midwifery personnel with average working experience of 10.92±7.98 years were assessed in the study and with a high knowledge, positive attitude and moderate practice about HIV/AIDS protection methods. The midwives perceived two main barriers, which impacted on their self‐efficacy and their protection behavior. These barriers were the emergency conditions of the work and the low availability of protective equipment.

HIV/AIDS protection behavior and HBM of midwives can be promoted by overcoming management barriers such as inadequate midwifery personnel in emergency conditions and insufficient protective equipment. The behavior also needs to be promoted by educational interventions which focus on improving midwives' perceived risk of HIV/AIDS infection.

A key development in South Africa's response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic has been the recognition that there are a number of external factors in the socio-economic and physical environment in which people live that are central to the spread of the epidemic. A growing body of evidence suggests that poverty, inequality, inadequate shelter, overcrowding and other symptoms of underdevelopment are fundamental drivers in undermining people's ability to practice and negotiate safe sex, thereby enhancing vulnerability to HIV infection. Similarly, these factors affect the ability of individuals, households and communities to cope with the subsequent health and socio-economic effects of infection. In a context where large numbers of South Africans live in poverty, without adequate shelter and access to basic resources and services, HIV/AIDS will thus have far reaching and serious impacts, not only on citizens and communities but also for and on the state.

The South African government has shifted its approach to housing development from the provision of housing to a sustainable human settlements approach, as encapsulated in its 2004 development plan ‘Breaking New Ground’. This paper explores the conceptual and theoretical links between this sustainable human settlements agenda and HIV/AIDS. It argues that the creation of sustainable and integrated human settlements is potentially a crucial component in the response to HIV/AIDS. However, this can only be achieved if HIV/AIDS becomes an explicit component of sustainable human settlements planning, development and management. In light of this, the paper discusses key characteristics of integrated, sustainable human settlements and reviews the current instruments for the implementation of a sustainable settlement agenda in South Africa in relation to the dynamics and implications of HIV/AIDS both for the South African state and its people. The paper concludes with a set of policy recommendations to make HIV/AIDS an integral component of the sustainable human settlements agenda.

Assesses the health belief model and its application to the perception of HIV/AIDS prevention through public health education. Investigates the concepts of stigma and blame among the Chinese, Malay and Indian Singaporeans. Describes the methodology and data analysis used. Analyses the findings – that the significant majority believe HIV/AIDS sufferers to be risk‐takers (rather than deviants) and that the most effective preventive measure against AIDS is to change sexual behaviour. Compares findings across the three ethnic groups – Malays believe that the individual is personally responsible for contracting HIV/AIDS, they also recognize the seriousness of the disease; the Indians had a sense of concerned responsibility, partially as a result of public health campaigns; the Chinese also had a sense of concerned responsibility, but not gleaned so much from health campaigns. Reports that, across the communities, younger people attribute HIV/AIDS to deviant sexual behaviour, while older people think of HIV/AIDS sufferers as victims of accidental infection and are therefore more sympathetic. Attributes ethnic differences to two facts: the first is that, in Singapore, people regard dual identify as important – on the one hand helping to shape Singapore’s national identity and, on the other hand, retaining strong values of ethnicity; the second fact is religion, particularly the way Malay Muslims attribute HIV/AIDS to personal responsibility.

This chapter is an exploratory piece to comprehend how national policies react to regional policy solutions designed to cope with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It uses data from the national strategic plans for HIV/AIDS from 13 of 15 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) members to illustrate how they interpret the regional response to the pandemic. In drawing upon the existing literature on transfer, it focuses on what I term cooperative policy transfer – explore how policy concepts flow back and forth between the national and regional levels through cohesive harmonization – to understand how new policy trends emerge. A cross-sectional analysis based on a content analysis reveals the emergence of three new policy trends distinct to the region that guide HIV/AIDS education: (i) creating a multisectoral approach; (ii) setting international targets; and (iii) establishing regional benchmarks. These new trends are identified as what I call the rise of new mutualism in education. The chapter concludes that the national and regional policy responses to HIV/AIDS in CARICOM countries, centered on new mutualism, became a rallying cry based on the belief that the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) can only function if CARICOM countries combine their resources to reverse the effect of HIV/AIDS on national educational systems.

The winter 1987 issue of Reference Services Review featured a bibliography of AIDS‐related materials prepared by Edmund SantaVicca, former head of Collection Management Services at Cleveland State University.

No other region of the world has suffered from such devastating epidemics in the recent past than sub-Saharan Africa. HIV/AIDS poses the worst single health threat on the continent and approximately 28.5 million of people infected with HIV/AIDS are in sub-Saharan Africa, yet, less than 8% have access to treatment. As African countries start or continue to expand their HIV/AIDS treatment programs with the assistance of international donors, they are facing several ethical and health policy challenges, including difficult decisions on how to ration available treatment, the high cost of drugs, the complexity of treatment regimens, the inadequacy of health and delivery systems, the lack of knowledge about treatment, and the threat of drug resistance.