AEGiS-15IAC: Campaign among students on AIDS (CASA).

15th International AIDS Conference

Bangkok, Thailand - July 11-16, 2004

Campaign among students on AIDS (CASA).

Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. C10183)

Rayapu RB, Ayodhya RK, Anand R, Rani BS, Sujatha P, Sarath Babu R, Ramola S
BOSS & CIPCA (CBO), Tirupati, India

ISSUE: The Young students (aged between 14-25 years) were identified as vulnerable to the risk of contracting the disease because of the peculiarity in their sexual practices and behaviors.

DESCRIPTION: Indian youth today are consuming more and substances such as alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Indian young students are subscribing to more liberal sexual attitudes, with a substantial proportion of them accepting behaviors such as premarital sex, co-habitation and homosexuality. Sexual initiation is happening at younger ages although there is a delay in age at marriage. In south India the levels of awareness on sexual/ reproductive health/STI's/HIV infections among young students remains inadequate. Hence the BOSS & CIPCA a unique CBO having 350 doctors and 6250 blood donors as its members working on HIV/AIDS since 1987 has made substantial effort to arrest the spread of infections through a vigorous information and education campaigns for students (Campaign Among Students on AIDS (CASA)). Organised 723 campaigns in different colleges and universities in the state and provided IEC materials, voluntary testing and counseling, care and rehabilitation services to the HIV positives among them.

RESULTS: BOSS & CIPCA has provided education to more than 7,12,813 students and identified 6823 HIV positive cases among them, provided counseling, care and support to them. We have prepared 7000 peer educators among them and they inturn they are educating their peers, families and the community where they live. More students have learned safe sexual practices and accepting the behavior change.

LESSONS LEARNED: Current practices and behaviors of young people, particularly related to their sexuality and reproductive health, if unabated could lead to greater likelihood of STI's/HIV/AIDS infection in the future. Hence there is dire need to concentrate more on youth risk behaviors and organize more and more awareness campaigns to educate them.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Students, HIV Infections, Sexual Behavior, Risk-Taking, HIV Seropositivity, Sexuality, Demography, Reproductive Medicine, Behavior, Counseling, Universities, India, Humans, education, organization & administration

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C10183