| The political context of AIDS-related stigma and knowledge in a South African township community. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 18709210 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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The purpose of this study was to examine the presentation of AIDS-related stigma and knowledge within the political context of the South African government's response to the AIDS epidemic. It was during the 2000 - 2004 period that key government officials publicly challenged the orthodox views of HIV/AIDS, with the South African president, Thabo Mbeki, actively positing the primary role of poverty and other socio-economic stressors in the progression of the AIDS epidemic. This discursive position had real-time effects for AIDS policy-making and ultimately delayed the implementation of a national antiretroviral (ARV) rollout programme. Consequently this position was criticised by commentators in the media and elsewhere for contributing to an already widespread climate of AIDS stigmatization and misinformation. To shed more light on these claims we conducted a survey in 2005 in Atteridgeville, a South African township, and compared results with those of a similar survey conducted shortly after ARV medications became available in 2004. Results indicated a reduction in AIDS stigma levels across the 1-year period, and that those participants who endorsed contentious political views (such as those expressed by key government officials) were more likely to have a higher level of AIDS-related stigma than those who disagreed. Nevertheless, this study cautions against drawing a causal relationship between the South African government's position and IDS-stigmatizing attitudes, and suggests that further political and social factors be accounted for in an attempt to gain a fuller understanding of this seemingly complex relationship. |
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Authors:
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Brian Forsyth; Alain Vandormael; Trace Kershaw; Janis Grobbelaar |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural |
Journal Detail:
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Title: SAHARA J : journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Research Alliance / SAHARA , Human Sciences Research Council Volume: 5 ISSN: 1813-4424 ISO Abbreviation: - Publication Date: 2008 Jul |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2008-08-18 Completed Date: 2008-12-09 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 101226212 Medline TA: SAHARA J Country: South Africa |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 74-82 Citation Subset: IM; X |
Affiliation:
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Department of Pediatrics, Yale University, Yale's Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, CN, USA. |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
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ethnology,
etiology*,
prevention & control Adolescent Adult African Continental Ancestry Group / education, ethnology, statistics & numerical data Attitude to Health* / ethnology Causality Denial (Psychology) Female Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice* Health Policy Humans Male Mass Media Middle Aged Multivariate Analysis National Health Programs / organization & administration* Politics* Poverty Questionnaires Regression Analysis South Africa / epidemiology Stereotyping* Urban Population |
| Grant Support | |
ID/Acronym/Agency:
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5 D43 TW05808/TW/FIC NIH HHS; R24HD43558/HD/NICHD NIH HHS |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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