ABSTRACT
Background: HIV/AIDS is such a dreaded disease which can be prevented if the people are aware of the ways to do so. Urban slums share a specific position in the demographic profile of district because of the inequalities of health care system where the rural health care system is far to reach and the more flourished private health care system is unaffordable for most of the inhabitants. HIV/AIDS is not only a health-related problem but it also has socioeconomic, behavioral and cultural aspects. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional among currently married women in reproductive age group (15-49 years) residing in any of the selected urban slums of district Gorakhpur. Cluster sampling was used and clusters were chosen by probability proportional to size (PPS) method of cluster sampling from a list of urban slums obtained from District Urban Development Authority (DUDA), Gorakhpur. The final sample size was 600. Results: 82% of women had ever heard about HIV/AIDS and 72% of women got the knowledge about HIV through television followed by 56% of woman who got knowledge by relatives and friends. 68% of woman believes that the mode of transmission of HIV is unsafe sex followed by 58% of women who believed that infected blood transfusion is the mode of transmission of HIV. Conclusions: Awareness is crucial in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS. Women should have more access to the knowledge resources and facilities for testing and prevention of HIV/AIDS.
ABSTRACT
Objectives: Uttar Pradesh (UP) is a non-salt producing state in India. Most of the salt is imported and traded in 18 of the 75 districts in the state. In 2009, the household coverage of adequately iodized salt in UP was 43%. This presentation features the important initiative taken by the state government with support by UNICEF to increase the availability of adequately iodized salt by mobilizing the network of salt wholesalers and retailers in UP. Methods: A total of 204 wholesalers and retailers were mapped across the 18 salt unloading districts. Four titration laboratories in the state medical colleges were revitalized. Salt samples were collected from shops and storage points on a monthly basis and sent to the laboratories to test the samples' iodine content. Reports on the iodization adequacy of salt were issued, shared with the wholesalers and retailers and used to monitor the iodization quality of salt. Monthly dialogue with salt wholesalers and retailers was carried out to sensitize and motivate them to procure and sell only adequately iodized salt. The salt testing results were also used by the Salt Department and the Department of Food and Drug Administration to take punitive actions against manufacturers producing inadequately iodized salt. Results: The availability of non-iodized salt decreased by 2.5% and availability of adequately iodized salt increased by 10% over a one-year period. Conclusions: Mapping, sensitization and using a combination of punitive and non punitive approach with the wholesalers and retailers proves to be an effective strategy to ensure adequate availability of appropriately iodized salt.