Socio-Demographic Profile of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWAs) in Port Harcourt; Nigeria

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AIDS is one of the important health problems facing developing countries particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. It constitutes a major public health threat responsible for morbidity and mortality in these areas. It is a debilitating disease of profound immunosuppression produced by chronic infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and if not treated exposes the person to a myriad of opportunistic infections. HIV/AIDS is generally regarded as a social disease because of its mode of transmission and the associated lifestyle involved. The study was designed to evaluate the socio-economic profile of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWAs) in Port Harcourt; Rivers State; Nigeria. METHODS.Structured questionnaires were used to collect socio-economic characteristics of demographic information from recruited participants who were attendees of HIV adult clinics at two hospitals in Port Harcourt; Nigeria. RESULT.A total of 145 people completed the study. There were 46 (31.7%) males and 99 (68.3%) females. Data collected showed that age; sex; marital status; education are important factors associated with the characteristics of people living with HIV!AIDS in Port Harcourt; Nigeria. CONCLUSION.There is need for continuous evaluation/monitoring of these characteristics in PLWHA to assess the improvement of socio-economic factors that influence HIV spread in the environment