Volume : 6, Issue : 5, May - 2017

A STUDY OF AWARENESS ABOUT HIV/AIDS AMONG TAXI AND AUTO DRIVERS

G. Lakshmi, N. Junior Sundresh

Abstract :

<p>&nbsp;<b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Introduction: </span></b><span style="text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">AIDS is an emerging socio-economic and medical problem of great magnitude having a world wide distribution. Among the global public health problems, AIDS becomes top the listed.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;&#10;line-height:150%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Aim</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;&#10;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">: The present study was aimed to find out the AIDS awareness level of the hire taxi and auto drivers. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;&#10;line-height:150%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Methods: </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;&#10;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">This observational study was conducted in auto and taxi drivers to access the basic knowledge of AIDS awareness using questionnaire prepared in Tamil language. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;&#10;line-height:150%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Results: </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;&#10;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">8% of participants considered AIDS as a hereditary disease, 72% were told were aware of the sexual mode of transmission. 18% were aware about spreading through used syringes. All respondents were aware that AIDS is not spread through contact with HIV infected person. But 32% of participants are not willing to touch HIV infected person. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;&#10;line-height:150%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&#10;&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Conclusion: </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;&#10;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">AIDS awareness is an unavoidable necessity for each and every individual in the society.<b> <o:p></o:p></b></span></p>