HIV still a health concern in Canada, study says
Every eight hours, a Canadian contracts HIV.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first diagnosis of AIDS on June 5, 2011, the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR) partnered with the Social Research Centre (SRC) at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health and national polling firm Strategic Counsel to gauge Canadians knowledge and perception of the state of HIV and AIDS in Canada. The study revealed that most Canadians (93 per cent) believe they are knowledgeable about HIV and AIDS, yet only half of those surveyed consider condoms to be very effective in reducing the spread of HIV.
The study indicated that while Canadians who have had two or more sexual partners in the last year are more likely than those with only one partner to have used a condom the last time they had sexual intercourse, the majority - almost six-in-ten (57 per cent) of those with two or more partners still admit that they did not use a condom the last time they had sexual intercourse.
It is clear that Canadians attitudes have shifted in the past 30 years, but this hasnt necessarily affected behavior, said Christopher Bunting, president of CANFAR. I find it surprising that so many arent using a condom to reduce the spread of HIV. It is critical that we as a nation understand the severity of this epidemic and engage in the fight against AIDS.
The Public Health Agency of Canada indicates that there has been a 14 per cent increase in the number of people living with HIV in Canada from 2005 to 2008, yet the study shows that only 17 per cent of Canadians who were tested for HIV and AIDS were tested with the intention of finding out if they were infected.
Studies show that condoms are 80 per cent effective in reducing HIV sexual transmission among heterosexuals. I was somewhat surprised that only 50 per cent of Canadians view them as very effective and that condom use among those with multiple partners is so low, said Professor Liviana Calzavara, director of the CIHR Social Research Centre in HIV Prevention at U of Ts Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Strategies to increase condom use must move beyond individual-level education and identify interventions aimed at changing norms and culture among youth and older Canadians.
Canadians consider HIV and AIDS a serious health concern in Canada, yet only about eight per cent of Canadians have donated to an HIV and AIDS-related organization in the past year.
Provided by
University of Toronto
-
Older African-American men with HIV often have sex without condoms
Oct 15, 2007 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Black girls who abuse alcohol less likely to use condoms
Aug 06, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
A dangerous precedent in HIV
Jul 29, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Contraception: It's better to be doubly safe than sorry
Feb 12, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
18th annual World Aids Day is observed
Dec 01, 2005 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Motion perception revisited: High Phi effect challenges established motion perception assumptions
Apr 23, 2013 |
3 / 5 (2) |
2
-
Anything you can do I can do better: Neuromolecular foundations of the superiority illusion (Update)
Apr 02, 2013 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
5
-
The visual system as economist: Neural resource allocation in visual adaptation
Mar 30, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
9
-
Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled
Mar 27, 2013 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
0
-
Sizing things up: The evolutionary neurobiology of scale invariance
Feb 28, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
14
-
Classical and Quantum Mechanics via Lie algebras
Apr 15, 2011
- More from Physics Forums - Independent Research
More news stories
'Gap' for HIV vaccine efforts after latest setback
The hunt for an HIV vaccine has gobbled up $8 billion in the past decade, and the failure of the most recent efficacy trial has delivered yet another setback to 26 years of efforts.
HIV & AIDS
19 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
AIDS science at 30: 'Cure' now part of lexicon
Big names in medicine are set to give an upbeat assessment of the war on AIDS on Tuesday, 30 years after French researchers identified the virus that causes the disease.
HIV & AIDS
May 18, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
Peer-referral programs can increase HIV-testing in emergency departments
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have found that incorporating a peer-referral program for HIV testing into emergency departments can reach new groups of high-risk patients and brings more patients into the ...
HIV & AIDS
May 17, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
HIV no barrier to getting liver transplant, study finds
(HealthDay)—Liver transplants to treat a common type of liver cancer are a viable option for people infected with HIV, according to new research.
HIV & AIDS
May 17, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
Twin epidemics: HIV and Hepatitis C in the urban Northeast
A new Yale study looks at the scope and consequences of a burgeoning health problem in the cities of the U.S. Northeast: concurrent infection with both HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV). The study appears online ...
HIV & AIDS
May 17, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
US adviser on board of firm that sold anthrax drug
(AP)—Former Navy Secretary Richard J. Danzig, who has served as a bio-warfare adviser to the president, the Pentagon, and the Department of Homeland Security, urged the government to stockpile an anti-anthrax drug while ...
Consumer group flags high SPF ratings on sunscreen
(AP)—Sunbathers this summer will find new sunscreen labels that are designed to make the products more effective and easier to use.
Treatment of sleep apnea improves glucose levels in prediabetes
Optimal treatment of sleep apnea in patients with prediabetes improves blood sugar (glucose) levels and thus can reduce cardiometabolic risk, according to a study to be presented at the ATS 2013 International Conference in ...
Whole-cell vaccine was more effective than acellular vaccine during CA pertussis outbreak
Whole-cell pertussis vaccines were more effective at protecting against pertussis than acellular pertussis vaccines during a large recent outbreak, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published in Pediatrics.
Blame your parents for bunion woes
A novel study reports that white men and women of European descent inherit common foot disorders, such as bunions (hallux valgus) and lesser toe deformities, including hammer or claw toe. Findings from the Framingham Foot ...
Genetic diversity within tumors predicts outcome in head and neck cancer
A new measure of the heterogeneity – the variety of genetic mutations – of cells within a tumor appears to predict treatment outcomes of patients with the most common type of head and neck cancer. In the May 20 issue ...