Please help: AIDS/HIV Short Questionnaire

[lunar1126]

Hey guys,

At uni I'm studying anthropology and currently taking a class on medical anthropology. Medical anthropology examines the biological, cultural, social, economic and political factors that lead to health/wellness and illness within, and across different cultures. For my final term project I have chosen to research AIDS/HIV, and am required to obtain illness narratives. I have a short survey and would really appreciate it if some of you could take a minute or two to answer my questions! I posted this same survey on an AIDS/HIV forum, but apparently they get hundreds of these types of requests and weren't too keen to participate. Then I remembered cping!....and thought it would be a great place to gather the perceptions of young people from all over the world :P If you are willing to answer the following few questions, I would be more than grateful! I have two sets of questions; one for those who are living with AIDS/HIV, and another set for those who aren't. If you do not feel comfortable posting your answers on this board, please email me your responses: [email protected], or PM them to me. If you are able to get your answers to me soon, I'd be very grateful indeed! Thank you very much for taking the time to read this!! I appreciate any help you can give me.

 

 

Questions for those who are AIDS/HIV positive:

Name: (If you would prefer only to provide your first name, that is acceptable)

Age:

Location:

1. When did you first hear of AIDS/HIV?

2. What was your initial reaction?

3. How long have you had the disease, and has your perception changed now?

4. Do you know of anyone else living with AIDS/HIV?

5. How has living with HIV/AIDS affected your life? (be as specific or as general as you wish)

6.. Would you say that society, in general, is now more a) compassionate, b) tolerant, or c) indifferent towards those living with AIDS/HIV?

7. Any additional information that you would like to share?

 

 

Questions for those who do not have AIDS/HIV:

Name: (If you would prefer only to provide your first name, that is acceptable)

Age:

Location:

1. When did you first hear of AIDS/HIV?

2. What was your initial reaction?

3. How has your perception changed since then?

4. Do you know of someone affected by this disease?

5. List any information regarding prevention, transmission and/or symptoms that you are aware of:

6. Would you say that society, in general, is now more a) compassionate, b) tolerant, or c) indifferent towards those living with AIDS/HIV?

7. Any additional information that you would like to share?

 

 

Thanks you guys!

 

 

PS. Sorry didnt know where else to post this...hope its ok that its in the Lounge!

[lunar1126]

:P Anyone?

[General Smut]

Name: Neil

Age: 24

Location: London

1. When did you first hear of AIDS/HIV? Eastenders when Mark Fowler had it - when that was i have no idea.

 

2. What was your initial reaction? Whats the fuss?

 

3. How has your perception changed since then? well i was only a kid then so ive learnt more about it, now i'm more aware of the risks involved in unprotected sex and drugs so i avoid (well i try to) being in situations where i could be exposed to it.

 

4. Do you know of someone affected by this disease? No

 

5. List any information regarding prevention, transmission and/or symptoms that you are aware of: Condoms? Screening when giving blood?

6. Would you say that society, in general, is now more a) compassionate, b) tolerant, or c) indifferent towards those living with AIDS/HIV? Its become more tolerant, I think its still seen as being bit of a gay disease but gays in general are more accepted in society today and thus people are more tolerant with the aids thing. I would say understanding as well.

 

7. Any additional information that you would like to share? Nope

 

 

Here you go, hope this is of some use!

[lunar1126]

Yup, thanks Smut :nice: It's interesting to learn what people know of AIDS/HIV. I want to keep this unbiased...so I can't really comment on any of your answers right now, but thanks for the response!!

[Oenona]

Questions for those who do not have AIDS/HIV:

 

Name: Iris

 

Age: 21

 

Location: Barcelona, Spain.

 

1. When did you first hear of AIDS/HIV?

To be honest, I don't really remember, when I was a kid, I suppose I was about 7 or 8.

 

2. What was your initial reaction?

Fear. I was pretty scared of the disease on itself and of every person that has it

 

3. How has your perception changed since then?

It has changed gradually 'cos it's really easy to "shock" a kid... they get scared easily. Now I don't have that fear but it still scares me. I still have the impression that I have to be careful if I'm with someone who has VIH.

 

4. Do you know of someone affected by this disease?

I don't.

 

5. List any information regarding prevention, transmission and/or symptoms that you are aware of:

 

Transmission: sexually and via drugs.

 

prevention: use condoms, use "clean" needles.

 

symptons: this disease affects your immnune system gradually..... and when you're really bad, you can even die 'cos of a simple cold.

 

 

6. Would you say that society, in general, is now more a) compassionate, b) tolerant, or c) indifferent towards those living with AIDS/HIV?

I think it's more tolerant, but I still think that society is scared of ppl who have this disease.

 

 

7. Any additional information that you would like to share?

yes, I worked in an International Congress of VIH that was "celebrated" here in Barcelona about 4 years ago if I recall correctly.

[lunar1126]

Thanks Iris! If you have a chance....could you tell me a bit more about this International Congress of HIV? What was its mission?

[Oenona]

oh, sure!

 

I was working there only for 1 week but there were scientifics, doctors, ...so on from all over the world.

Every scientific(whatever) made a wallpaper with graphics and information about what he/she was mading a research of(a serious wallpaper, huh). All those wallpapers were hung on the wall of several passages and in the bottom of every wallpaper there were several cards with general information of the scientific who made it. So, that worked like this:

scientifics were looking at the wallpapers, and when they thought that someone was mading a similar research to their one, then he/she took a card of the author of the wallpaper, and afterwards they made an appointment to talk about stuff.

 

can you imagine it?

[Marisa]

Questions for those who do not have AIDS/HIV:

 

Name: Marisa

Age: 21

Location: East Lansing, MI, USA

1. When did you first hear of AIDS/HIV?

the 90s, during grade school.

2. What was your initial reaction? a bit overwhelemed because I really didn't understand it.

3. How has your perception changed since then? After studying from a medical standpoint and merging with a humanistic approach, the concern is even greater. I would say I have become more aware of the physical degradation it has on the body, as to before, I just knew a person who had AIDS/HIV positive was ill.

4. Do you know of someone affected by this disease? No.

5. List any information regarding prevention, transmission and/or symptoms that you are aware of: HIV is the virus transmitted sexually and by other bodily fluids in contact with that infected. Immune system (lymphatic and circulation of blood) is affected. Can later lead to AIDS.

6. Would you say that society, in general, is now more a) compassionate, b) tolerant, or c) indifferent towards those living with AIDS/HIV?

More compassionate because of how incredibly aggressive it is, I wouldn't say more tolerant because there are still those out there who are ignorant to medical issues because they are just not aware, and people could also be indifferent because they are not interested in something that does not affect them.

7. Any additional information that you would like to share? Prevention is best, but not always an option for those who are not aware. Therefore educating everyone is the most direct approach to combat. And further research is greatly needed.

 

 

 

Good luck on the project. :)

I'm right now working on my final research project as well.

[Ondes Martenot]

Name: nik

Age: 16

Location: Switzerland

 

1. When did you first hear of AIDS/HIV?

 

- some years ago, have no idea when exactly

 

2. What was your initial reaction?

 

- as a young kid, i naturally was quite scared. i had a fear of "catching" it

 

3. How has your perception changed since then?

 

- i think i've heard/read enough about this issue, so i always try to prevent myself from this disease

 

4. Do you know of someone affected by this disease?

 

- no

 

5. List any information regarding prevention, transmission and/or symptoms that you are aware of:

 

- use condoms!!! ; sexual contacts, injection of infected blood ; very weak immune system

 

6.. Would you say that society, in general, is now more a) compassionate, b) tolerant, or c) indifferent towards those living with AIDS/HIV?

 

- tollerant, but not everywhere!!! here (Switzerland) i think it is, or at least i hope so

 

7. Any additional information that you would like to share?

 

-

[lunar1126]

Thank you, you lovely people for your answers!! :nice:

[fifi]

Questions for those who do not have AIDS/HIV:

 

Name: Fiona

 

Age: 20

 

Location: Dublin, Ireland

 

1. When did you first hear of AIDS/HIV?

I can't remember exactly but I think it was when I was in my early teens and we learned about it in religion class

 

2. What was your initial reaction?

Maybe a mixture of fear and indifferent because I knew it wasn't something that affected me directly at the time

 

3. How has your perception changed since then?

Its definitely changed because now the dangers are heightened as it's becoming more widespread and we're more socially aware that it is affecting us directly and because I'm at an age where there are more dangers of me contracting it than when I first learnt about the disease/virus

 

4. Do you know of someone affected by this disease?

Not directly

 

5. List any information regarding prevention, transmission and/or symptoms that you are aware of:

 

Transmission: sexually, sharing needles and early blood transfusions.

 

prevention: use condoms, don't share needles.

 

symptoms: directly affects the immune system and gradually wears it down making it incapable of fighting off infections, so fatigue would be a major tell tail sign and also easily contracting any bugs that are going around.

 

 

6. Would you say that society, in general, is now more a) compassionate, b) tolerant, or c) indifferent towards those living with AIDS/HIV?

I think that now, because it's becoming a bigger issue in society, people are becoming more compassionate towards those with aids/hiv. We're all aware of how to contract the disease/virus and know that simple interaction with a person with the disease such as hugging, cannot spread it. In the past, people with aids/hiv have felt isolated in society because people would tip toe around them and make them outcasts because they feared that if they were in any kind of contact with a carrier, they might also become infected

 

 

7. Any additional information that you would like to share?

None that comes to mind

 

I hope that helped :)

[*andrea*]

Questions for those who do not have AIDS/HIV:

 

Name: Andrea

Age: 17

Location: Mexico city.

1. When did you first hear of AIDS/HIV? probably at school

2. What was your initial reaction? I wasnt scared or anything

3. How has your perception changed since then? not much, Im aware of the disease, and I know about the myths around it

4. Do you know of someone affected by this disease? no

5. List any information regarding prevention, transmission and/or symptoms that you are aware of:

prevention: using condom, not sharing needles, not having sex with more than one person, if you do then having the HIV test constantly, not breast feeding your baby if you have it that way you wont pass the disease to it

 

transmission: sexual contact, blood transfusion, sharing needles, from mother to baby

 

symptoms: depending on the person, many people have it for years and they dont know about it. It can start with a cold, feeling weak, losing weight etc

 

 

6. Would you say that society, in general, is now more a) compassionate, b) tolerant, or c) indifferent towards those living with AIDS/HIV?

indifferent

 

7. Any additional information that you would like to share?

 

getting all the information you can about this disease will help you understand and also prevent for getting it, tolerating and understading people with AIDS/HIV is one of the most important things we can do

[talisman]

Questions for those who do not have AIDS/HIV:

 

Name: Lirak

Age: 18

Location: Kosovo

1. When did you first hear of AIDS/HIV? probably around 12

2. What was your initial reaction? as everyone else, fear, i thought that it can be transmited through the hand contact (though i was wrong:D)

3. How has your perception changed since then? quite much actually, i know how it is transmited, how it can be prevented etc.

4. Do you know of someone affected by this disease? yes

5. List any information regarding prevention, transmission and/or symptoms that you are aware of: unprotected sex, which we all know about, blood contact, and using the same needles can lead to the transmission of this disease.

6. Would you say that society, in general, is now more a) compassionate, b) tolerant, or c) indifferent towards those living with AIDS/HIV?

defenitely A.

7. Any additional information that you would like to share?

use condoms :D