An exploratory analysis of HIV/AIDS epidemic risk-factors among Aboriginal people in Canada and African South Africans

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-56).When addressing the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, it is necessary to identify risk factors which are shared by populations, as well as those which may place populations uniquely at risk. Although Canada is a developed country, its Aboriginal population shares socio-economic characteristics with the world's developing populations. This thesis explores the shared risk factors among the Aboriginal population in Canada, where the HIV/AIDS epidemic is increasing despite relatively low national prevalence rates, and South Africa's African population, where the HIV/AIDS epidemic is particularly acute. The present analysis compares the profile of the African South African HIV/AIDS epidemic with risk factors that also occur among Aboriginal people. The results of this analysis show that the Aboriginal population has an epidemic risk profile that is similar to that of African South Africans. This points to the potential for a rapid increase of HIV/AIDS among Aboriginal people, as has been the case in the African South African population over the past two decades