Sunday, May 30, 2004
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Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Tamil Nadu
By M. Dinesh Varma
CHENNAI, MAY 29. Urban youth show a high awareness of HIV/AIDS, but are lacking access to right information on sexual health issues, according to behavioural surveys. A survey done in select schools and colleges in Chennai and five other cities showed that though the youth had access to the mass media and the Internet, they lacked accurate information on sexual health. Several respondents complained that they had no one to discuss their doubts with, pointing to the need for strengthening peer education components in HIV/AIDS programmes. Though awareness was high among the majority of students, only 45 per cent had knowledge of misconceptions — many respondents harboured wrong notions of HIV/AIDS spreading through social contacts. Only 36 per cent of men and 28 per cent of women received one-to-one education on HIV/AIDS. The Behaviour Surveillance Survey (BSS) was conducted as part of the AIDS Prevention and Control Project (APAC) run by the Voluntary Health Services. This was the third exercise after the 1996-97 and 2000 surveys. Apart from the BSS, the APAC conducted a descriptive study which brought to light several issues of adolescent sexual behaviour. The survey covered a sample of 1,600 men students and 6,000 women students in schools and colleges. Apart from Chennai, the survey covered Madurai, Coimbatore, Salem, Vellore and Nagercoil. Information was collated from respondents through a 40-point questionnaire as well as focussed group discussion. Though urban youth seemed to have a clear idea of the risks of paid sex, their low-risk perception of casual partners is cause for worry, says R. Lakshmibai, Project Director, Tamil Nadu AIDS Initiative. In group discussions, several male respondents said sexual relationship could happen between lovers. They, however, felt that pre-marital sex was a distraction and `spoilt the conscience'. A cross-section of men in colleges said it browsed `hot sites' on the Internet, frequented discotheques and dated regularly. School dropouts and youth in urban slums, who were also surveyed, were found to engage in `high-risk' behaviour. This section, which earned money doing menial jobs, was into alcohol and drug abuse and spent money on commercial sex workers.
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