Investigation into HIV/AIDS coverage in selected South African newspapers
- Authors: Moqasa, Nketsi Abel
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: AIDS (Disease) in mass media , Mass media -- South Africa , Journalism -- Social aspects , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa , Content analysis (Communication) , Press -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Soc Sc (Com)
- Identifier: vital:11367 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1006285 , AIDS (Disease) in mass media , Mass media -- South Africa , Journalism -- Social aspects , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa , Content analysis (Communication) , Press -- South Africa
- Description: This study investigates HIV/AIDS coverage in selected South African newspapers. The rationale for the study hinges on the fact that the media’s role in informing society about social issues, such as HIV/AIDS, is of paramount importance. The study adopted, principally, the content analysis method and, as a supplement, discourse analysis. Four daily newspapers were content-analysed, namely: Daily Dispatch, Daily Sun, Sowetan and The Star. A total of 288 editions of newspapers, spanning a period of twelve months (January to December 2010) were sampled. This study is informed by agenda setting theory. Discourse analysis was used to determine the compliance of these newspapers to media guides on the use of appropriate language or terminologies. The tone, sentence structures used when disseminating HIV/AIDS stories were also examined. The results revealed that HIV/AIDS coverage by these newspapers is reasonable even though the prominence given to HIV/AIDS issues is dissatisfactory in terms of placement on the page, headline font-size and number of paragraphs devoted to HIV/AIDS stories. 5.0% of HIV/AIDS-oriented stories were placed on the front page; 93.8% on the inside pages while 1.3% were placed on the back pages. It was also found that news and feature were used equally to disseminate HIV/AIDS issues. These genres constituted 50% each. On the other hand, the results revealed a statistically non-significant relationship between the newspapers and categories; that is: (25.09 2 , p 0.122 0.05 ). Results further revealed that these newspapers used appropriate terminology and value-neutral language in their stories. The tone of the messages was found to be positive and encouraging.
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- Date Issued: 2013
Statistical methods to model the influence of age and gender on the behavioral risk factors of HIV/AIDS
- Authors: Tlou, Boikhutso
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: AIDS (Disease) -- Statistics , HIV infections -- Statistics , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa , Health risk assessment , HIV infections -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Biostatistics and Epidemiology)
- Identifier: vital:11779 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/400 , AIDS (Disease) -- Statistics , HIV infections -- Statistics , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa , Health risk assessment , HIV infections -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects
- Description: The effects of gender and age on the behavioral risk of HIV/AIDS are not clearly understood as previous distinct studies which have been carried out, have given disputable and contradictory outcomes. This study therefore, discusses the statistical methods which can be used to model the influence of age and gender on the behavioral risk factors of HIV/AIDS. In general, generalized linear models are the main methods which can be applied to depict the impact of age and gender on the behavioral risk of becoming infected with HIV/AIDS virus. In this study, the main methods used were logistic regression, log-linear regression and multiple regressions. Behavioral risk was taken as the dependent variable while age, gender, number of sexual partners, religious beliefs and alcohol and drug abuse were fitted as predictor variables. The three statistical methods gave significant results for gender and insignificant results for age. Furthermore, comparisons were made on the three regression methods and the logistic regression gave the best results. It was therefore concluded that gender plays a significant role on the behavioral risk of HIV/AIDS. The results of the study showed that gender of the student and number of sexual partners had a significant effect on the risk behavior of the university students. In future, it may be very important to find out why age is not a significant factor on risk behavior of HIV/AIDS among university students.
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- Date Issued: 2010
Citizenship, social capital and HIV/AIDS: a sociological analysis derived from the experience of the Umkhanyakhude district community, Kwazulu-Nata
- Authors: Nyawasha, Tawanda Sydesky https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4854-9989
- Date: 2009-02
- Subjects: Social capital (Sociology) , AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/26208 , vital:64965
- Description: This thesis is a multi-level analysis that seeks to examine the utility of applying the concept of social capital in dealing with a complexity of challenges and problems caused by HIV/AIDS in areas of social marginality. It examines social capital in the context of rurality and how its usage can successfully mediate on the effects of all structural factors fuelling the HIV/AIDS epidemic including poverty and social marginality. It does this against the background of scholarly research findings on the relevance of community or neighbourhood social structure in resolving a host of issues affecting its citizens. The study establishes that the ‘public benefit’ of social capital lies in resource connectivity, meso-level interactions and reciprocal transactions useful for HIV/AIDS prevention. Social capital is therefore identified in this study as civic engagement, neigbourliness, voluntary association or civic membership and collective action. The central thesis or argument advanced by this study is that community or village level interactions and associations among people and groups can greatly influence community cohesion and action towards HIV/AIDS prevention, avoidance and mitigation. In its pursuit of a deeper enquiry and understanding of the most often misunderstood concept or rather elusive in both the social science and public health lexicon, the thesis identifies the major sources of social capital as voluntary civic membership or associations in community groups, local village or community assemblages, exchanges of HIV/AIDS specific information, public discussions and other social spaces useful in helping community citizens to get an awareness of HIV/AIDS thereby making them adopt an HIV/AIDS protective behaviour. In this thesis, community or village-level social capital is seen as having a significant effect on household and HIV/AIDS. The study establishes that the prevalence of norms of ‘civicness’ and the vibrancy of horizontal ties at the community or village level generates the needed stocks of social capital for poverty reduction and HIV/AIDS mitigation.Building on Habermas’s(1992) theories of the ‘public sphere’ and ‘communicative action’ andthe Freirian(1996) discourse of ‘dialogue and praxis’, the study highlights the need for social for communication and dialogue in order to break the silence around HIV/AIDS in rural societies. Deliberative discussions or community conversations are suggested to build a critical awareness and consciousness on HIV/AIDS within the community or village context. In this study, quantifiable evidence tends to suggest that there is a strong correlation between lack of HIV/AIDS specific knowledge and HIV/ AIDS vulnerability. The study underscores the need forpublic communication on HIV/AIDS through community-level dialogues and conversations.Community dialogues and conversations are suggested to be active forms of interaction generating significant levels of social capital in the form of public knowledge on HIV/AIDS. This form of public knowledge is perceived as generating action oriented towards HIV/AIDS prevention and fostering the adoption of safer behavioural practices. The thesis also highlights the often muted link or correlation between human capital in the form of education and social capital. In several instances, the study has proven that human capital and education in particular helps in the creation of high stocks of social capital that can be applied to counteract both household and village level HIV/AIDS. The research further establishes the need for citizenship education which is more contextual and calls for critical enquiry, reflection and thinking on the part of all citizens or villagers. All in all, the research extends the existing knowledge on collective efficacy, village or neighbourhood advantage, associational or group membership, village governance and HIV/AIDS in the developing economies. It sheds more light on how village-level processes, interactions and exchanges within the ‘public sphere’ can be streamlined to deal with issues of marginality and rural HIV/AIDS. These study findings on social capital contribute to the ongoing debate about social capital, its relevance and applicability, in solving public health issues and challenges in developing societies. , Thesis (MSoc) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2009
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- Date Issued: 2009-02
A study to determine the degree to which the HIV/AIDS pandemic is being addressed at DaimlerCrysler, South Africa
- Authors: Strydom, Kariena
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Employment -- South Africa , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa -- East London
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:10882 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/186 , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Employment -- South Africa , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa -- East London
- Description: The aim of this research project was to determine the effectiveness of DaimlerChrysler South Africa’s efforts in addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The devastating impacts of the HIV/AIDS pandemic have already been felt at the workplace as without further successful interventions, HIV/AIDS mortality at DaimlerChrysler South Africa (DCSA) was expected to peak in 2006. Investment in HIV/AIDS programmes has been proposed as good business practice. The DCSA HIV/AIDS Workplace Programme was thus established to limit the impact and consequences of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on its workers, their families and surrounding communities. The empirical survey, comprising a questionnaire, examined the attitude and perception of employees regarding the effectiveness of the DCSA HIV/AIDS Workplace Programme. The findings of the empirical survey corresponded with the findings of the literature survey in concluding that the DCSA HIV/AIDS Workplace Programme has been successful in effectively addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic. A few aspects of the Workplace Programme need attention and recommendations have been made in order to contribute to the lowering of HIV/AIDS prevalence rates at DaimlerChrysler South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2004
Assessing the need for specific services for HIV/AIDS affected people using participatory needs assessment processes
- Authors: Moresby-White, Ann
- Date: 2002
- Subjects: AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Services for , HIV-positive persons -- Services for , AIDS (Disease) -- Research , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:713 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007692 , AIDS (Disease) -- Patients -- Services for , HIV-positive persons -- Services for , AIDS (Disease) -- Research , AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa
- Description: The purpose of the study undertaken is to develop knowledge to assist service providers in their planning and implementation of community -based programmes and projects. The thesis explores the most appropriate way of conducting a needs assessment, relating to HIV/AIDS services in a particular community; thereafter the needs assessment was carried out. This qualitative research study is conducted using participatory methods and techniques. The research reviews literature pertaining to HIV/AIDS, specifically in Africa, South Africa and the Eastern Cape and incorporates a discussion on the concept of community, community development and poverty. The design of the needs assessment tool, implementation and analysis is conducted through focus group discussions and individual semi-structured interviews. The theory on participatory approaches and community development are central to this study. The study found that HIV / AIDS as an issue is not perceived by the community under study to be an immediate need in light of basic needs being identified as priority. The use of participatory methods in this study highlighted the diversity within communities. Service providers who wish to initiate community - based projects need to take note of diversity and personal interests of individuals or groups who become involved in community- based projects. The study further highlighted the need for service providers to provide training, to their staff in participatory approaches and techniques, before embarking on community development projects. The study concludes that services relating to the HIV/AIDS epidemic cannot be carried out in isolation, but that an integrated approach is needed in the planning and implementation of services and programmes to address those affected by HIV/AIDS.
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- Date Issued: 2002