Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Full text release at OhioLINK's ETD Center delayed at author's request

M.A. / The headlines scream of HIV/AIDS being a global pandemic and it is true that HIV has reached every corner of the globe. Never in history has there arisen such a widespread and fundamental threat to human development. Yet it is sub - Saharan Africa that is the hardest hit region and mainland southern Africa that experiences the most severe HIV/AIDS epidemic in the world (Jackson, 2002). Countries like Botswana and South Africa have the highest infection rates with as many as one in three adults affected (Clark, 2002). Millions of children are being orphaned in these regions and years have been knocked off life expectancy. AIDS threatens food security, productivity, human resource availability and development (Jackson, 2002). It severely leaves its mark on the individual and the family, but its impact reaches through to the macro-economic level as well. This is a long term development disaster on a scale never witnessed before and sub -Saharan Africa is bearing the brunt of it. The global pandemic as it is called, is looking more and more like two distinct epidemics – one global and one regional (Jackson, 2002). Two dominant HIVtransmission patterns are described by UNAIDS (2000) today: heterosexual sex throughout sub-Saharan Africa and intravenous drug injecting, together with some sexual transmission among men who have sex with men, everywhere else. It is to be understood though, that these are not exclusive patterns of course, but it matters that these are the predominant modes of transmission. The devastating fact about African HIV/AIDS scenario is that women are several times more likely to be infected than men. Gender inequality is a fundamental driving force of the AIDS epidemic (Women’s Health Weekly, 2000). Biological and social factors make women and girls far more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS than men. Women are anatomically and physiologically much more susceptible and penile penetration puts women at great risk. Socio -culturally, women in (South) Africa tend to wield little power in heterosexual relationships. The socialisation process of both men and women right from childhood, as well as the stereotyping of their roles in society, has exposed women more to HIV infection as compared to their male counterparts (Henderson, 1996). The term gender refers to the widely shared expectations and norms within a society about appropriate male and female behaviour, characteristics and roles. It is a social and cultural construct that differentiates women from men and defines the ways in which women and men interact with each other (Gupta, 2001). In sub-Saharan Africa this very often means that it is unacceptable for a woman to say no to unwanted and unprotected sex unless they want to risk abuse or even violence (Esu-Williams, 2000). Both men and women are socialised to believe that men have a right to have sex regardless of their wives’ consent, even if he had been demonstrably unfaithful and was infected with HIV (Urdang, 2001). This state of affa irs is further exacerbated by the fact that very often the women is economically dependant upon the man. The fact that women are so vulnerable is a vital issue in the spread of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Women’s rights and needs have to be taken seriously if any kind of slowing of the epidemic is to occur. Equity in all fields – health, education, environment and the economy – are essential if women are to act to protect themselves when it comes to HIV/AIDS (Women’s Health Weekly, 2000). Issues surrounding women and poverty, education, training, health matters, violence, economy, power and decision-making, are issues that will have a major impact on the spread of HIV and AIDS.

Thesis (Ph. D. in Religion)--Vanderbilt University, Dec. 2009. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2003. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xiii, 241 p.; also includes graphics. Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: Heaney, Catherine, School of Public Health. Includes bibliographical references (p. 186-201).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008. / Full text also available online. Scroll down for electronic link.

Background: As many studies, women are more vulnerable to contract HIV through sex behavior than men from women. The low status of women also make women are more at risk of infecting with HIV. South Africa now is one of the most rapidly growing HIV epidemics in the world. In Africa, 74% of youth who get HIV/AIDS are young women and young girls. In 2005, there were 16.9 per cent women aged 15-24 years got HIV and only 4.4% men got HIV in South Africa. Objective: To identify the main internal risk factors and interventions/external factors of HIV/AIDS on young women in Africa. Data Source: Pub Med, Medline and Cochrane Library were searched for English articles from 1990 to 2011. (Keywords: HIV, AIDS, young women or girl or adolescent girl.) Results: Initial search produced 2888 articles. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 9 articles were for the final systematic review. 5 papers were about risk factors of HIV/AIDS and 4 papers were about the interventions or the factors influenced the risk factors. We identified four risk factors: intimate partner violence (IPV) and relationship power inequity, number of partners and last sexual activities, age of partner, alcohol consumption before sex. Two interventions/external factors: Microfinance with gender and HIV training curriculum and SES neighborhoods (Community level). Conclusions: We have two policy implications. First, we should ensure that preventive services, including education of young women have more accessibility. Secondly, because many young women who with older men have sex were more likely to infect with HIV, Therefore, we should make greater efforts to encourage them to adopt safer behavior. As the man play leading role in Africa, our prevention programs should focus more on men. / published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health

Thesis (M.A.)--Edith Cowan University, 2006. / Submitted to the Faculty of Education and Arts. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (DPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available via the Internet.

The study aims to explore women's psychosocial needs and concerns following an HIV positive diagnosis. It also seeks to understand nature and various sources of care and support that women need for learning how to live with an HIV positive diagnosis. Finally, to understand what women need from HIV/AIDS health care and social service providers. In order to achieve these aims, a sample of 12 HIV positive women age between 20 and 40 was approached and interviewed at the Centres for Disease Control Clinic (CDC) in one of the local hospital in Pietermaritzburg. A qualitative research approach using semi- structured in-depth interviews was used in the study. The findings of the study reveal that HIV positive women are still faced with a range of psychosocial needs, different to that of HIV infected men. Their main psychosocial concerns centre on the welfare of their children rather their own health. Women fear rejection from their sexual relationships and as a way of coping with this, they choose to abstain from intimate relationships. Many women receive limited support from their families, health, and social welfare systems. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.