Project Abstract

<p> This research aimed at fitting canonical correlation model that is capable of determining<br>whether literacy level, age, marital status and gender are risk factors for HIV/AIDs. The<br>data used is obtained from Heart to Heart center situated in General Hospital Minna,<br>Niger State in June 2013. The Statistical package used to analyze the data is NCSS<br>(Number Cruncher Statistical System) 2007 package and the result shows that the first<br>set of variables measured the correlation of 0.2972 with the proportion of variability of<br>50.7% and the second set measured the correlation of 0.1412 with the proportion of<br>variability of 49.3% . Hence, concluded that marital status and gender are risk factors<br>of HIV/AIDs and implies that the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is higher among the married<br>men.. I finally recommended that there is a need for the government to enact a Law that<br>will make it mandatory for the two partners to undergo the HIV/AIDS test <br></p>

Project Overview

<p> 1.0 GENERAL INTRODUCTION<br>Since the discovery of Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the causative organism<br>of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in 1983, the infection has attained<br>epidemic proportion globally. HIV/AIDS is an extraordinary kind of crisis; it is both an<br>emergency and a long-term development issue. Tumer and Unal (2000) assert that<br>(HIV/AIDS) is one of the most complex health problems of the 21st century. Despite<br>increased funding, political commitments and progress in expanding access to HIV<br>treatment, the AIDS epidemic continues to outpace every global response.<br>Today the AIDS epidemic has become a pandemic disease that is threatening the world<br>population. As the HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to spread around the world at an<br>alarming rate, the number of people with this disease is been expected to grow<br>significantly by the end of this decade. Moreover according to UNAIDS (2006); an<br>estimated 24.7million people are living with HIV/AIDS in sub Saharan Africa. Meyer<br>(2003) claims that HIV/AIDS which is acclaimed the fourth- leading cause of death<br>worldwide is estimated to have claimed 25million lives since the beginning of the<br>epidemic.<br>Acquired immune Deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a viral disease caused by human<br>Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that is usually found in body fluids like blood, semen,<br>vagina fluid, and breast milk of infected persons. The virus can be transferred from one<br>infected person to another, mostly through sexual intercourse and sharing of unsterilized<br>instruments like blades, knives, and syringes which had once been used by infected<br>persons. (Olaleye 2003)<br>2<br>AIDS has rendered many children orphans, many of which were born with HIV<br>infection. AIDS is killing the most productive people in the population, widening the<br>level of development between developed and developing nations. It is also taking toll on<br>the health sector since a lot of fund is channeled towards HIV/AIDS prevention and<br>control. It has been observed that despite the many programmes organized to inform<br>people about the problem of HIV/AIDS, the rate of it infection continues to be on the<br>increase. (Omoniyi and Tayo-Olajubu 2006)<br>However, Cichocki (2010) Insists that, HIV testing is the first step to take when trying<br>to find out a person’s status. Never should one rely on symptoms of HIV to decide<br>whether one is infected. HIV testing is the only way to know for sure. The importance<br>of early diagnosis of HIV cannot be overstated. Decades of HIV and AIDS researchers<br>have proven that the earlier HIV is diagnosed, the better the prognosis and the<br>likelihood of a long and healthy life. Meanwhile, certain risk behaviors have been<br>associated with high HIV infection rate. These behaviors according to Anochie and<br>Eneh (2001) are either life style related or health-care provider risk. The life style<br>related risk behaviors include multiple sexual partners, prostitution, sex with prostitute<br>or casual partners, unprotected sex, intravenous, drug abuse and commercial blood<br>donation among others.<br>Moreover, various campaigns have been mounted by both governmental and non –<br>governmental association (NGOs) to curtail the spread of HIV/AIDS. Olaleye (2003)<br>posits that these campaigns focused on measures to prevent HIV/AIDS infection. The<br>measures include total abstainess from sex, use of condom to avoid infections from<br>unprotected sexual intercourse, screening of blood meant for transfusion, keeping to one<br>sexual partner, use of sterilized sharp object like blades, knives, needles / syringe,<br>3<br>shaving and barbing instruments, Intending couples are also advised to do HIV/AIDS<br>test before being joined in marriage.<br>Omoniyi and Tayo-Olajubu (2006) submit that People diagnosed with AIDS may get<br>life-threatening diseases called opportunistic infection which are caused by microbes<br>such as viruses and bacterial that usually does not make healthy people sick. However,<br>What the HIV does is to gradually damage the immune system so that an infected<br>person would be vulnerable to all sorts of diseases and illnesses, which may eventually<br>lead to the total collapse of the immune system. It is at this point a person is said to be<br>suffering from AIDS.<br>As of 2012 in Nigeria, the HIV prevalence rate among adults ages 15–49 was 3.1<br>percent. Nigeria has the second-largest number of people living with HIV. The HIV<br>epidemic in Nigeria is complex and varies widely by region. In some states, the<br>epidemic is more concentrated and driven by high-risk behaviors, while other states<br>have more generalized epidemics that are sustained primarily by multiple sexual<br>partnerships in the general population. Youth and young adults in Nigeria are<br>particularly vulnerable to HIV, with young women at higher risk than young men. There<br>are many risk factors that contribute to the spread of HIV, including prostitution, highrisk<br>practices among itinerant workers, high prevalence of sexually transmitted<br>infections (STI), clandestine high-risk heterosexual and homosexual practices,<br>international trafficking of women, and irregular blood screening.<br>Nigeria is emerging from a period of military rule that accounted for almost 28 of the 47<br>years since independence in 1960. Consequently, the policy environment is not fully<br>democratized. Civil society was weak during the military era, and its role in advocacy<br>and lobbying remains weak. The size of the population and the nation pose logistical<br>and political challenges particularly due to the political determination of the Nigerian<br>4<br>Government to achieve health care equity across geopolitical zones. The necessity to<br>coordinate programs simultaneously at the federal, state and local levels introduces<br>complexity into planning. The large private sector is largely unregulated and, more<br>importantly, has no formal connection to the public health system where most HIV<br>interventions are delivered. Training and human resource development is severely<br>limited in all sectors and will hamper program implementation at all levels. Care and<br>support is limited because existing staff are overstretched and most have insufficient<br>training in key technical areas to provide complete HIV services.<br>Epidemiologically, UNAIDS estimates worldwide that 40,000,000 persons are living<br>with HIV/AIDS, 18,500,000 (44%) of whom are women, and 3,000,000 (7.1%) of<br>whom are children. The most heavily affected area of the world is sub-Saharan Africa,<br>with almost 30,000,000 people infected with HIV.<br>South Africa has the largest population of HIV patients in the world, followed by<br>Nigeria and India. South &amp; South East Asia are second worst affected; in 2007 this<br>region contained an estimated 18% of all people living with AIDS, and an estimated<br>300,000 deaths from AIDS.<br>1.1 Statement of the Problem<br>HIV/AIDS is being classified as dangerous disease and contribute to global health<br>crisis. The rate of HIV/AIDS infection is increasing despite measures taken by<br>government at federal, state and local levels. As a result of the danger of the disease,<br>this research work is carried out to investigate whether canonical correlation model is<br>capable of determining whether literacy level and gender are risk factors for HIV/ AIDs<br>in Niger State.<br>5<br>1.2 Significance of the Study<br>This study is design to contribute knowledge to the understanding of HIV/AIDS. It is<br>also useful to government and nongovernmental organization for them to rate strict<br>measures to curtail the spread of the disease.<br>1.3 Aim and Objectives<br>The aim of this research work is to fit a canonical correlation model that is capable of<br>determining whether literacy level and gender are risk factors for HIV /AIDS in Niger<br>State.<br>The above aim is achieved through the following objectives;<br>• To determine the contribution of the risk factors to the prevalence of HIV/AIDS<br>using canonical correlation.<br>• To determine the level of association between the canonical variates using<br>Wilk’s Lambda test.<br>To test for homogeneity of variances among the risk factors using Bartlet’s test.<br>1.4 Scope and Limitation of the Study<br>This research work is based on data obtain from General Hospital Minna. (Heart to<br>Heart centre, established, 2007) on HIV/AIDS and analyzed using Canonical correlation<br>model that is capable of establishing the relationship between two sets of variables<br>(Literacy level and Gender on one hand and Age, weight and marital status on the other<br>hand).<br>6 <br></p>