The municipal district of Ametista do Sul, located in the north of the state of Rio Grande do Sul is eminent in the production of amethysts which occur in geodos in the interior of spills of basalt of Formação Serra Geral. The extraction of amethyst is made in large horizontal profundities in underground galleries. The process of plow involves tasks such as the perforation of the rock which is made in a dry way and the use of explosives, both of them create mineral dust with silica (SiO2) which remains in suspension a lot of time inside the gallery, causing the inhalation and the risk of developing lung diseases, among them the silicosis, a incidence of silicosis in prospectors of Ametista do Sul. In order to do that, it was carried out a survey in medical report, home visits to the prospectors that were out of work. Relevant information was selected in the medical reports, such as age, occupation time, smoker or non-smoker, diagnosis of the illness, incident symptoms and clinical exams carried out. The results found in the medical reports showed that 44% have silicosis and 56% do not have the diagnosis of the disease but present the symptoms of it. During the home visits, it was found 23 prospectors away from work due to the high evolution of silicosis. In the interviews with the prospectors, the results showed that 78% do not have silicosis, 11% have the disease and 11% do not know whether they have the disease because they have not done the exam for the diagnosis, or those who did the exam have not gotten the medical diagnosis yet. In this context, it was checked that it is necessary changes in the technique of work especially in the perforation method through the use of water as well as improvements in the process of ventilation that is insufficient; in addition to better inspection and control in the use of toxic components of explosives which also affect the respiratory ways of the prospectors. / O município de Ametista do Sul, localizado ao norte do estado do Rio Grande do Sul é destaque na produção de ametistas que ocorrem em geodos no interior de derrames de basalto da Formação Serra Geral. A extração de ametista é realizada em grandes profundidades horizontais em galerias subterrâneas. O processo de lavra envolve tarefas como a perfuração da rocha que é feita a seco e a utilização de explosivos, sendo que ambas geram poeira mineral com sílica (SiO2) que permanece em suspensão durante muito tempo no interior da galeria, propiciando a inalação e o risco de desenvolver doenças pulmonares, entre elas a silicose, uma doença crônica e incurável. Assim, esta pesquisa, teve como objetivo verificar a incidência de silicose em garimpeiros de Ametista do Sul. Para isso, foi realizado um levantamento de dados em prontuários médicos, visitas domiciliares aos garimpeiros afastados do trabalho devido à silicose e entrevistas. Nos prontuários médicos foram selecionadas informações relevantes como idade, tempo de trabalho na profissão, tabagista ou não, diagnóstico de doença, sintomas incidentes e exames clínicos realizados. Os resultados encontrados nos prontuários médicos mostraram que 44% tem silicose e 56% não tem o diagnóstico da doença mas apresentam os sintomas da mesma. Nas visitas domiciliares, foram encontrados 23 garimpeiros afastados do trabalho devido elevado grau de evolução de silicose. Nas entrevistas com os garimpeiros, os resultados mostraram que 78% não tem silicose, 11% tem a doença e 11% não sabem se possuem a doença, por não terem realizado exame para diagnóstico e ou os que fizeram o exame ainda não tinham o diagnóstico do médico. Nesse contexto, verificou-se que é necessário mudanças nas técnicas de trabalho principalmente no método de perfuração através da utilização de água e no processo de ventilação que é insuficiente nos garimpos além de maior fiscalização e controle no uso de componentes tóxicos dos explosivos que também afetam as vias respiratórias dos garimpeiros.

Orientador: Sandra Elisa Contri Pitton / Banca: Lucy Marion Calderini Philadelpho Machado / Banca: José Bueno Conti / Resumo: O crescimento urbano-industrial no Brasil, gerou contradições no espaço intra-urbano posto que as cidades apresentam em suas áreas periféricas habitações precárias, ambientes mal-concebidos e com saneamento inadequado e/ou ineficiente, atestando contra o conforto e saúde das pessoas, fato que propicia uma baixa qualidade ambiental e de vida. As doenças, principalmente as infecto-contagiosas, atualmente, se configuram em um excelente parâmetro para a investigação da qualidade ambiental e de vida urbana. As doenças transmissíveis, apesar de serem amplamente conhecidas, controladas e prevenidas, ainda causam altos índices de morbidade e de mortalidade e retratam a pobreza social, tecnológica e econômica, bem como o descaso político. A dengue, uma doença transmissível, reapareceu no espaço urbano devido a vários fatores sócio-ambientais, destaca-se: a falta de saneamento, o baixo nível educacional, fatores comportamentais, econômicos, culturais e falta de políticas públicas. No que diz respeito aos fatores ambientais destaca-se o clima, pois as temperaturas elevadas e as precipitações abundantes favorecem o desenvolvimento de vetores que, conseqüentemente, elevam o risco de doenças infecciosas. Desse modo, a presente investigação de mestrado buscou analisar as relações existentes entre o (re)aparecimento da Dengue e alterações socioambientais que ocorreram no espaço urbano de Piracicaba-SP, visando contribuir com as políticas públicas locais. Embasada na perspectiva da Geografia Socioambiental, a pesquisa utilizou-se de métodos e técnicas variadas, adotando uma postura pragmática. Assim, através da cartografia temática e da confecção de gráficos e tabelas, analisou-se a ocorrência espacial intra urbana da Dengue, que mostrou que a moléstia possui relações com o ritmo climático e com as variáveis sociais estudadas, principalmente... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The urban industrial growth in Brazil, caused contradictions into urban areas, its because the cities showing in this poor areas precarious residences, uncertain environmental with inadequate and insufficient sanitation, acting against well-being and health of their residents, offering to their a low quality of environmental and low quality of life. The contagious illness, at moment, were a good parameters to investigate the quality of environmental and the quality of urban life. The transmissible illness, although been known, and could be prevented, it stills causing high taxes of morbidity and mortality and retreating the social and technological poor and political negligence. The Dengue Fever, a transmissible illness, come back (again) into the urban space in association with some factors like the no education of the people, no adequate sanitation and no political investments. The climate is a environmental factor that have association with the Dengue fever mainly the high temperatures and abundance rain whom that helped the vector cycle. In this way, the present paper analyzed the relationships between the occurrence of Dengue Fever and the environmental and social modifications in the urban space of Piracicaba-SP, and this work looking for helping the public sector. Using the Socioambiental perspective of Geography, this investigate adopt various techniques and methods. This paper analyzed the occurrence of Dengue Fever into the urban area using maps, graphics and tables, who shows that the illness has association with the climatic rhythm and with the density of houses and people. A final map was elaborated and it shows the urban areas were more affect about the Dengue Fever. This map shows the areas of risk to Dengue Fever. / Mestre

Uma análise histórica dos primeiros estudos geográficos demonstra que a associação entre a Geografia e a Medicina ocorre desde tempos remotos, abrangendo a interface entre os elementos como saúde, meio ambiente e espaço. Este estudo procurou demonstrar as influências que os geógrafos Vidal de La Blache e Maximilien Sorre exerceram sobre a obra de Josué de Castro. Estas influências podem ser constatadas desde as primeiras obras de Castro relacionadas à espacialização da saúde, ainda muito impregnadas pelo possibilismo vidalino e pela utilização de conceitos próprios desta escola geográfica, até o lançamento dos livros Geografia da Fome e Geopolítica da Fome, em que a visão ecológica de Sorre e o contato com outras ciências humanas ampliaram o horizonte crítico das obras castrinas. / A historical analysis of the first geographic knowledge shows that the association between Geography and Medicine occurs since ancient times comprising the interface among subjects as health, environment and space. This essay is an attempt to demonstrate the influences which geographers Vidal de la Blanche and Maximilien Sorre carried out on the Josué de Castros work. These influences can be verified since the initial Castros works concerned with the spacialization of health, works that are still very impregnated with the Vidals possibilism and with this geographic school own concepts, until the edition of the books The geography of Hunger and the Geopolitics of Hunger, in which Sorres ecological perspective and contact with other human sciences amplify the critical horizon of Castros works.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:33:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-11-09Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:23:05Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 natalino_rr_dr_rcla.pdf: 5375714 bytes, checksum: 9a579145fb35bcf613e06a9bc3ad3d0a (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Esta pesquisa, realizada no campo da Geografia Médica, tem como objetivo estabelecer interface entre o clima e a saúde. Nessa ótica, buscou-se analisar a variabilidade dos elementos climáticos nas ocorrências de casos de internação por pneumonia, relacionando-os com os fatores de risco dos grupos dos pacientes e riscos socioeconômicos da população em estudo. Tomou-se a cidade de Rio Claro como exemplo de caso, para estimar a associação existente entre os totais diários de internação por pneumonia, obtidos pelo Sistema de Informação Hospitalar (AIH/SUS), e os dados meteorológicos (temperatura, precipitação e umidade), obtidos junto a Estação Metereológica do Centro de Análise e Planejamento Ambiental (CEAPLA) e pelo Laboratório de Análise Metereológica e Climatologia Aplicada da UNESP-campus de Rio Claro-SP no período compreendido entre janeiro de 2000 e dezembro de 2009. Foi evidenciado que o número de ocorrência de internação por pneumonia sofreu acréscimo durante os meses de outono e inverno, época em que foram registradas baixas temperaturas e período de estiagem. Com relação à distribuição espacial, verificou-se que as áreas de concentração de domicílios dos pacientes se localizaram na zona central, onde há uma grande concentração de pessoas e a frota de veículos é mais numerosa, gerando mais poluentes na atmosfera, e nos bairros periféricos, onde as moradias têm menor qualidade de acabamento e a população se torna mais vulnerável. Pelas evidências, foi possível concluir que as condições climáticas têm influência sobre a morbidade respiratória / This research made in Medical Geography field aims to establish an interface between climate and health. In this viewpoint, the climatic factor variability had been analyzed on the hospital stay for pneumonia, correlating with the risk factors of risk patient groups and the population`s socioeconomic study. The city of Rio Claro, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, had been taken as the geographical study place to estimate the linking between daily totals of hospital stay for pneumonia, got by the Hospital Information System (AIH/SUS), and the meteorological data – temperature, precipitation, moisture – which had been gotten from the Climatology Laboratory of Geography Department, Unesp (Sao Paulo University) – Rio Claro campus and Climatological Station to the Center of Analysis and Environmental Planning (CEAPLA), during the period between January 2000 and December 2009. The number of hospitalization for pneumonia had been increased during autumn and winter months due to the low temperature and dry periods which had been recorded. Related to special distribution, it had been shown that the patient housing area concentration had been located in the central area as well peripheral ones such as Mae Preta and Chervezon. In the central areas there as been a large concentration of people and a high number of vehicles which results in more pollutants in the atmosphere. Therefore, in the peripheral region houses have been presenting low housing finishing, becoming such population more vulnerable to this health problem. However, it is possible to conclude that the climate has influence on respiratory morbidity

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:27:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-02-23Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:55:50Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 nunes_jor_me_jabo.pdf: 1573295 bytes, checksum: 55a5cc5a8fd3d59d09557d2948d6bd19 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O convívio do ser humano com cães e gatos tem se intensificado sem a devida adoção de posturas de posse responsável. O presente trabalho teve propósito de contribuir com os estudos da dinâmica populacional de cães e gatos em Jaboticabal, São Paulo, e avaliar o nível de conhecimento das pessoas sobre posse responsável e zoonoses. A obtenção de dados foi feita em dois bairros da periferia, nos anos 2005 e 2010, por meio de questionários. No Bairro Residencial entrevistaram-se 228 moradores em 2005 e, em 2010, foram re-entrevistados 196. No Bairro Jardim Boa Vista foram 111 em 2005, e 84 em 2010. Foram realizados a Análise de Correspondência Múltipla e o Geoprocessamento. Obteve-se um alto número de animais com livre acesso às ruas, na maioria machos e principalmente gatos. Esses animais podem ser computados como semi-restritos ou de vizinhança, com possibilidade de causar transtornos. Além de já estarem em número elevado, os animais de rua têm respaldo da comunidade, que os alimenta, dando condições para que perpetuem. Existe um programa de castração no Município, mas a população de cães e gatos continua crescendo, pois o número de animais castrados ainda é pouco expressivo. Do ano de 2005 para 2010, houve aumento significativo da quantidade de cães idosos, principalmente fêmeas; isso pode ser reflexo da postura das pessoas de maiores cuidados com os animais. As informações obtidas em muito contribuirão para que seja estabelecida a dinâmica da população de cães e gatos em todo Município de Jaboticabal. Certamente, isto dará um suporte valioso ao Serviço Municipal de Saúde para o planejamento e a adoção de medidas mais adequadas de controle de populações animais e de zoonoses / The interaction of humans with dogs and cats has increased without proper postures of responsible ownership. The purpose of this study was to contribute to studies of population dynamics of dogs and cats in Jaboticabal, São Paulo, and assess the level of knowledge of the community about responsible ownership and zoonoses. The data collection was done with two neighborhoods, in the years 2005 and 2010, using questionnaires. In the Neighborhood Residential 228 residents were interviewed in 2005 and 196 residents were re-interviewed in 2010. In Jardim Boa Vista 111 residents were interviewed in 2005 and 84 in 2010. We performed a Multiple Correspondence Analysis and GIS. We obtained a high number of animals witch has free access to the streets, mostly male and cats. These animals could be classified as semi-restricted or neighborhood, with the possibility of causing trouble. In addition, besides the high number of animals, the street animals have the support of the community that provide food to them, giving conditions to perpetuate. There is a castration program in the city, but the cats and dogs population continues to grow due to the fact that the number of castrated animals is still small. From 2005 to 2010, there was a significant increase in the number of older dogs, especially female; this may reflect the attitude of the community to be more careful with animals. The information obtained will contribute greatly to the setting of a dynamic population of dogs and cats throughout Jaboticabal. Certainly, it will provide valuable support to the Municipal Health Service for planning and adoption of suitable measures to control animal populations and zoonoses

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:27:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-04-19Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:57:04Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 genaro_v_me_rcla.pdf: 1730791 bytes, checksum: 6b7e4cf6942516a7a3c5007e21ad1785 (MD5) / Cordeirópolis é uma cidade com aproximadamente 20.000, localizada em meio a Depressão Periférica Paulista, uma das regiões com umidade relativa do ar mais baixas do estado de São Paulo durante a estação de inverno. Por outro lado, a cidade também conta com uma série de problemas socioambientais, como a exploração indiscriminada dos recursos naturais e os baixos níveis educacionais apresentados pela população local, colocando em risco a qualidade de vida dos habitantes. Diante dos fatos, buscou-se estabelecer relações entre os diferentes tipos de tempo atmosférico e as doenças cardiorrespiratórias, considerando que as variações do tempo atmosférico tendem a desencadear uma série de reações no organismo humano, causando ou agravando um emaranhado de sintomas, enfermidades e mudanças no quadro clínico de saúde da população. Também foi possível identificar os grupos de risco e mapear as áreas mais vulneráveis e o local de residência dos pacientes portadores de enfermidades ligadas ao sistema circulatório e respiratório atendidos pelo Programa Saúde da Família, servindo de contribuição para que o poder público possa pensar novas diretrizes que sejam ecologicamente, social e economicamente mais viáveis e justas / Cordeirópolis is a small town with approximately 20,000 inhabitants and is located in the midst of the Depressão Periférica Paulista, one of the driest regions of the state of São Paulo during the winter season. On the other hand, the city is among the largest and most important deposits of clay, which explains its economic vocation, aimed mainly to the production of ceramic artifacts and agriculture of sugar cane. Despite being part of the largest ceramic center in Latin America,and although the ceramic industries as well as the sugar industry are the main sources of income of the municipality, the city has a number of socio-environmental problems, such as the indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources and low levels of education provided by the local population, threatening the quality of life for residents. Given the above facts, we sought to establish relationships between different types of weather and cardiopulmonary diseases, considering that variations in the weather tend to trigger a series of reactions in the human body, causing or exacerbating a tangle of symptoms, diseases changes in clinical and population health. By the way, were collected, processed and organized weather data on precipitation, temperature, relative humidity and air quality standard, and was then correlated with the information collected by the Hospital Health System (SIH-SUS), referring to the monthly number of patients hospitalized for some kind of cardiopulmonary disease. Through the questionnaires it was possible to identify risk groups and map the area’s most vulnerable and place of residence of patients with diseases related to circulatory and respiratory system served by the Family Health Program, serving as a contribution to the local government can think of new guidelines that are environmentally, socially and economically more viable and fair

Resumo: O convívio do ser humano com cães e gatos tem se intensificado sem a devida adoção de posturas de posse responsável. O presente trabalho teve propósito de contribuir com os estudos da dinâmica populacional de cães e gatos em Jaboticabal, São Paulo, e avaliar o nível de conhecimento das pessoas sobre posse responsável e zoonoses. A obtenção de dados foi feita em dois bairros da periferia, nos anos 2005 e 2010, por meio de questionários. No Bairro Residencial entrevistaram-se 228 moradores em 2005 e, em 2010, foram re-entrevistados 196. No Bairro Jardim Boa Vista foram 111 em 2005, e 84 em 2010. Foram realizados a Análise de Correspondência Múltipla e o Geoprocessamento. Obteve-se um alto número de animais com livre acesso às ruas, na maioria machos e principalmente gatos. Esses animais podem ser computados como semi-restritos ou de vizinhança, com possibilidade de causar transtornos. Além de já estarem em número elevado, os animais de rua têm respaldo da comunidade, que os alimenta, dando condições para que perpetuem. Existe um programa de castração no Município, mas a população de cães e gatos continua crescendo, pois o número de animais castrados ainda é pouco expressivo. Do ano de 2005 para 2010, houve aumento significativo da quantidade de cães idosos, principalmente fêmeas; isso pode ser reflexo da postura das pessoas de maiores cuidados com os animais. As informações obtidas em muito contribuirão para que seja estabelecida a dinâmica da população de cães e gatos em todo Município de Jaboticabal. Certamente, isto dará um suporte valioso ao Serviço Municipal de Saúde para o planejamento e a adoção de medidas mais adequadas de controle de populações animais e de zoonoses / Abstract: The interaction of humans with dogs and cats has increased without proper postures of responsible ownership. The purpose of this study was to contribute to studies of population dynamics of dogs and cats in Jaboticabal, São Paulo, and assess the level of knowledge of the community about responsible ownership and zoonoses. The data collection was done with two neighborhoods, in the years 2005 and 2010, using questionnaires. In the Neighborhood Residential 228 residents were interviewed in 2005 and 196 residents were re-interviewed in 2010. In Jardim Boa Vista 111 residents were interviewed in 2005 and 84 in 2010. We performed a Multiple Correspondence Analysis and GIS. We obtained a high number of animals witch has free access to the streets, mostly male and cats. These animals could be classified as semi-restricted or neighborhood, with the possibility of causing trouble. In addition, besides the high number of animals, the street animals have the support of the community that provide food to them, giving conditions to perpetuate. There is a castration program in the city, but the cats and dogs population continues to grow due to the fact that the number of castrated animals is still small. From 2005 to 2010, there was a significant increase in the number of older dogs, especially female; this may reflect the attitude of the community to be more careful with animals. The information obtained will contribute greatly to the setting of a dynamic population of dogs and cats throughout Jaboticabal. Certainly, it will provide valuable support to the Municipal Health Service for planning and adoption of suitable measures to control animal populations and zoonoses / Orientador: Adolorata Aparecida Bianco Carvalho / Coorientador: Antonio Sergio Ferraudo / Banca: Angela Cleusa de Fátima Banzatto de Carvalho / Banca: Maria Angélica Dias / Mestre

Uma análise histórica dos primeiros estudos geográficos demonstra que a associação entre a Geografia e a Medicina ocorre desde tempos remotos, abrangendo a interface entre os elementos como saúde, meio ambiente e espaço. Este estudo procurou demonstrar as influências que os geógrafos Vidal de La Blache e Maximilien Sorre exerceram sobre a obra de Josué de Castro. Estas influências podem ser constatadas desde as primeiras obras de Castro relacionadas à espacialização da saúde, ainda muito impregnadas pelo possibilismo vidalino e pela utilização de conceitos próprios desta escola geográfica, até o lançamento dos livros Geografia da Fome e Geopolítica da Fome, em que a visão ecológica de Sorre e o contato com outras ciências humanas ampliaram o horizonte crítico das obras castrinas. / A historical analysis of the first geographic knowledge shows that the association between Geography and Medicine occurs since ancient times comprising the interface among subjects as health, environment and space. This essay is an attempt to demonstrate the influences which geographers Vidal de la Blanche and Maximilien Sorre carried out on the Josué de Castros work. These influences can be verified since the initial Castros works concerned with the spacialization of health, works that are still very impregnated with the Vidals possibilism and with this geographic school own concepts, until the edition of the books The geography of Hunger and the Geopolitics of Hunger, in which Sorres ecological perspective and contact with other human sciences amplify the critical horizon of Castros works.

Health studies often rely on aggregated instead of individual-level data to protect patient privacy. However, aggregated data are subject to the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP), meaning results of statistical analyses may differ depending on the data's scale and areal unit. Past studies have suggested MAUP is context-specific and analyzing multiple spatial scales may provide richer understandings of examined phenomena. More research is needed to understand the role of scale and areal unit in health-related analyses. This study examines associations between surface mining and birth outcomes from 1989 to 2015 in Central Appalachia at the individual; postal; county; and county-sized, non-administrative scales. Evidence from previous studies suggests associations exist between health outcomes and county-level measures of mining activity. This is the first study to examine associations between mining and birth outcomes at more spatially refined exposure estimates. We identified surface mines using Landsat imagery and geocoded birth records. Airsheds, used to quantify the influence area of potential airborne pollutants from surface mining activity, were built using HYSPLIT4. The frequency values of each airshed that intersected each geocoded birth record were summed. These cumulative frequency airshed values were then aggregated. Finally, we implemented multiple regression models, each at a different scale, to examine associations between airsheds and birth outcomes. Results suggest MAUP has minimal impacts on the statistical results of examining associations between surface mining and birth outcomes in Central Appalachia. Results also indicate surface mining is significantly associated with preterm birth and reduced birthweight at each scale. / Master of Science / Health studies often rely on data that has been grouped together within political boundaries (e.g. counties) instead of individual-level data to protect patient privacy. However, results from analyses using grouped data may differ depending on the data's scale and areal unit, which describes the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP). Past studies have suggested MAUP is specific to the situation being analyzed and examining multiple scales may provide richer understandings of the situation. More research is needed to understand the role of scale and areal unit choice in health-related analyses. This study examines associations between surface mining and birth outcomes from 1989 to 2015 in Central Appalachia at the individual; postal; county; and county-sized, non-administrative scales. Evidence from previous studies suggests associations exist between health outcomes and county-level measures of mining activity. This is the first study to examine associations between mining and birth outcomes at finer scales. Surface mines were identified using satellite images, and we identified the locations of birth records using the mother's home address. Airsheds, used to determine the influence area of airborne pollutants from surface mining activity, were created. We then used statistical models, to examine associations between airsheds and birth outcomes at four spatial scales. Results suggest MAUP has minimal impacts on the statistical results of examining associations between surface mining and birth outcomes in Central Appalachia. Results also indicate surface mining is significantly associated with preterm birth and decreased birthweight in grams at each scale.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Geography / Bimal K. Paul / According to the UNAIDS (2008) estimated, in 2005, that about 2.4 million Indians were living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). This makes India one of the most HIV vulnerable countries in Asia and thus this problem cannot be ignored. The main purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the awareness about HIV/AIDS preventive measures of female college students (in the 18 to 24 age group) in Kolkata, India, who were widely believed to be members of the low risk group. Specifically, the study measured the willingness to comply with HIV/AIDS preventive measures of the female college students. Few studies have investigated the perception, knowledge and opinions of female students regarding the effectiveness of HIV preventive measures, this study will add a new dimension to HIV/ AIDS literature. In order to assess the information available to the students an attempt has been made to examine the knowledge of the respondents concerning the modes of transmission of HIV and HIV prevention methods. The study also identified the significant sources of information that the respondents used to derive pertinent information enabling them to protect themselves from the virus. A host of variables (e.g. socio-economic and behavioral) have been studied in order to identify the factors influencing the willingness to comply with the preventive measures of these college students. From the results it was evident that religion, income and age play a role in influencing the students’ willingness to comply. This study has important public health implications because the information collected can be used to design HIV prevention interventions that can reduce HIV transmission in West Bengal and other states of India.