Marseille 2007
| Abstract #611 - Social Representations of HIV/AIDS and Sexual Behaviour of Students in Ghana | ||||
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Session: 6.104: Posters A (Poster) on Monday in Chaired by Authors: Presenting Author: Ms Dinah Baah-Odoom - University of Birmingham, United Kingdom |
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| Additional Authors: Dr Gerry A. Riley, | ||||
| Aim: This study applied the Social Represntation approach to understanding how young people conceptualizes the Origin and spread of HIV/AIDS. It also investigated whether these representations do, as claimed, influence the risk perceptions and sexual behaviour of individuals | ||||
| Method / Issue: The first phase of the study used focus groups to obtain information about the social representations of the disease and sexual behaviours. The second phase involved questionnaire survey relating to the representations and sexual behaviour. | ||||
| Results / Comments: This study found no relationship between belief about the origin and spread of HIV and actual safe sex as reported by in other studies, (e.g. Joffe & Bettega 2003; Goodwin, et. al). There was also a positive association between stigmatizing attitude and belief about origin of HIV and risk taking. Thus, the hypothesis that stigmatizing representations will be associated with perceptions of low personal risk was not supported. Stigmatizing attitude again, was not related to higher engagement in unsafe sexual practices (r =.315, p < .001). Interestingly and contrally to expectations the young people have negative attitudes towards buying and carrying condoms with the intention using it. | ||||
| Discussion: The more these young people stigmatized "out-groups" the more they they took risks. However, risk taking was not associated with unsafe sex. This could be that public health campaign on prevention of HIV/AIDS is taken serious. The study confirmed the findings by Goodwin et al. (2004) that the young people have beliefs about buying and carry condoms that could deter a cross section of them from carrying condoms with the intention using it for fear of negative perception by the other people. No wonder majority of them chose abstainace over condom use. These results have significance for public health campaigns that aim at prevention of new infection. | ||||
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