Barriers to Female Condom Use in India

Thesis (M.Nurs.), College of Nursing, Washington State UniversityHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency virus (AIDS) in India have together become a daunting epidemic with numbers of those being infected increasing into the millions. The elevating levels of infection rates have lead to growing concern and national demand for preventative measures. Unfortunately, low literacy levels have made providing education on prevention of HIV/ AIDS to individuals in India very difficult as effective ways to do so are not apparent. Also, being of the female gender poses its own issues. Although India has a constitution that prohibits exploitation and discrimination by gender, it has failed to protect the rights of Indian women. This paper reviews the relationship between the female gender and barriers to condom use, as well as the impact of illiteracy on educating such individuals. Findings show that there is a positive correlation between low literacy levels and increased rates of HIV/ AIDS and that female contraction of the disease is dramatically on the rise. In order to decrease levels of HIV/ AIDS infection in India, further studies are needed to determine appropriate methods to educate at the current literacy level