RESUMO
As estimated by WHO, globally a total of 36.9 million [34.3 – 41.4 million] people were living with HIV in 2014. Quality of life (QOL) of HIV/AIDS patients is becoming an important element for understanding and assessing the overall health care and management in health care settings. The objective of this study was to determine the QOL of patients living with HIV/AIDS in Delhi. Systemic Random sampling method was used to identify the subjects from the antiretroviral therapy clinic (ART) situated in tertiary care hospital in Delhi. Methods: 200 patients were interviewed with the WHOQOL-HIV instrument. Questionnaire included items on socio-demographic data, multi-item scales and had six domains namely physical, psychological, level of independence, social relationships, environment and spirituality religion. Results: Study subjects were aged between 18-60 years with mean age of 34.46±8.76 years, and comprised of 41%females. 29 % of studied subjects were illiterate. More than 1/3rd of the patients (84% females) were unemployed and did not have any source of income. All QOL domains were observed to be higher for males in comparison to females. Single/widow patients had better QOL in comparison to married patients. QOL was observed to be better among those who were young, had better educational qualifications, were employed, asymptomatic, had shorter duration of treatment and those who stayed closer to the ART center. Conclusion: Correlation of scores of six domains with overall QOL score and among individual domains was found to be statistically significant.
RESUMO
Objective: To gain an insight into the phenomenon of social resistance and rumors against pulse polio campaign. Design: Qualitative, community-based investigation, mapping perceptions of various stakeholders through in-depth interviews (IDIs), focus group discussions (FGDs), non-formal interactions and observations. Setting: Moradabad and JP Nagar districts of Uttar Pradesh. Subjects: IDIs (providers 33, mothers 33, community leaders 10); FGDs (providers 4, mothers 8) and non-formal interactions (156) with community leaders, parents, businessmen, journalists (Hindi and Urdu media), mobilizers, vaccinators and supervisors. Results: A distinct machination of social resistance and rumors against oral polio vaccine during supplementary immunization activities (SIA) was observed in some minority dominated areas. The pattern can be understood through a model that emerged through qualitative evidence. Inspite of all this, most parents in minority areas supported the SIAs. Only a few clusters from extremely marginalized sections continued to evade SIAs, with an endemic pattern. Through social osmosis, these rumors reached majority community as well and some parents were affected. However, in such cases, the resistance was sporadic and transient. Conclusion: While the program’s focus was on microbiological issues, the obstacles to polio eradication lie in the endemicity of social (and/or cultural) resistance in some pockets, leading to clustering of perpetually unimmunized children - inspite of good coverage of SIAs at macro level. This may sustain low levels of wild poliovirus transmission, and there can be exceptions to the robustness of the pulse approach. A micro level involvement of volunteers from marginalized pockets of minorities might be able to minimize or eliminate this resistance.