Vietnam Population and AIDS Indicator Survey 2005 ... - Measure DHS

ATTITUDES RELATING TO HIV/AIDS 5
5.1 KEY FINDINGS
• While nearly all women and men report they would care for a family member with HIV at home,
4 in 10 respondents would want the positive status of an HIV positive family member to remain a
secret.
• There is widespread acceptance of the ability of a woman to negotiate safer sex with her husband
either by refusing to have sex or by requesting condom use if she knows he has a sexually
transmitted infection.
• Women and men who believe children should be taught about condom use to avoid HIV/AIDS
are in the minority.
5.2 INTRODUCTION
Not only has the HIV/AIDS epidemic emerged as a global problem with a disastrous impact on
survival and human development, it has also instilled fear and social anxiety, often disseminating negative
repercussions for those who contract the illness. This chapter presents measures of attitudes regarding
HIV/AIDS. It includes indicators of stigma towards people living with HIV/AIDS, justifications for
women negotiating safer sex with their husbands, and attitudes towards teaching children about condom
use.
5.3 HIV/AIDS-RELATED STIGMA
Stigma is a burden that many people living with HIV/AIDS carry in addition to their illness. The
stigma is put upon them by others in society who label them as deserving of being marginalized. While
the psycho-sociological basis for humans alienating each other is complex, the consequences for people
living with HIV/AIDS who are stigmatized are clearly grave. Ultimately, a community, individual, or
society that can rationalize the marginalizing of others can excuse itself from the responsibility of caring
for and looking after those who have been marginalized.
In order to assess the level of stigma, VPAIS respondents who have heard of AIDS were asked
four questions related to their attitudes towards those infected with HIV/AIDS. Respondents were asked if
they would be willing to care for a family member in their own household if that family member was sick
with the AIDS virus. Respondents were asked whether they would buy fresh vegetables from a market
vendor who had the AIDS virus. Respondents were asked whether they thought a female teacher infected
with the AIDS virus who is not sick should be allowed to continue teaching in school. Respondents were
asked to imagine if a member of their family got infected with the virus that causes AIDS, would they
want it to remain secret or not. Tables 5.1.1 and 5.1.2 show the results.
Survey results show that nearly all respondents (more than 9 in 10 women and men age 15-49
who have heard of AIDS) say they would be willing to care for a family member in their own household
who is sick with AIDS. However, only 5 in 10 women and men were able to say that the HIV status of an
HIV positive family member need not be kept secret. Presumably, the 4 in 10 respondents (both women
Attitudes Relating to HIV/AIDS | 43