Cultural Barriers Among Pakastani Women Related to HIV/AIDS Detection, Prevention, and Treatment

Thesis (M.Nurs.), College of Nursing, Washington State UniversityThe AIDS epidemic may become the most devastating health disaster in human history; an estimated 40 million people are living with HIVIAIDS around the world (Lamptey, Johnson, & Khan, 2006). Developing countries have been particularly affected by the emerging HIVIAIDS global epidemic. Pakistan, the sixth largest country in the world, and the second most populous Muslim nation, is a developing country with limited resources and a soaring population of 189,000 million people. Until recently, Pakistan was categorized as a low prevalence, high-risk country for HIV infection with an estimated 85,000 persons or 0.1 % ofthe adult population, infected with HIV (The World Bank, 2005). Heterosexual transmission (52%) and contaminated blood or blood products (12%) are the most commonly reported modes of transmission for HIV/AIDS in Pakistan (Haider, Zohra, Nisar, & Munir, 2009). Other modes of transmission include injection drug use (2%), male-to-male or bisexual relationship (4.5%), and mother to child transmission (2%); the mode of transmission in 27% ofthe reported HIV/AIDS cases could not be established due to incomplete data (UNAIDS, 2008). This would suggest the number of reported cases of HIV is still relatively low or unreported. Social taboos and lack of knowledge among the general population and Pakistani health care providers prevent patients from reporting their affliction (Haider et al.). In Pakistan, very few studies have been conducted regarding the knowledge of AIDS among women. Women comprise 48.5% of the Pakistani population, with an alarmingly high illiteracy rate of 72%. The life expectancy of females at birth is 61.6 years; however, the percentage of total life expectancy lost due to poor health in females is 15% (Government of Pakistan, Federal Bureau of Statistics, 2005). It was determined that identifying key barriers such as gender inequality, violence against women, unstable government and inconsistent law enforcement, greatly influences access, diagnosis, and treatment for HIV/AIDS infection. Women's inequality emerges as a common theme that restricts their rights to preventative medicine and education. The purpose of this paper was to identify cultural barriers leading to ineffective detection, prevention, and treatment of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted disease among women living in Pakistan. More specifically, how does the suppression of women's rights and gender inequality contribute to detection, education, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS for the women of Pakistan? The intended goal of identifying key barriers is to increase societal, cultural, and governmental awareness and to facilitate constructive change