During lecture organised by Rotary Club of Stabroek… Dr. Misir delivers dynamic, informative health presentation – on his book ‘HIV & AIDS Knowledge & Stigma among Adolescents’
UG Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Prem Misir
UG Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Prem Misir

LAST Wednesday evening, at the Pegasus Hotel in Guyana, Dr. Prem Misir delivered a dynamic and informative health presentation on his book ‘HIV AND AIDS KNOWLEDGE AND STIGMA IN GUYANA’, to the Rotary Club of Stabroek. The University of the West Indies (UWI) Press was the publisher of this book. 

Dr. Misir indicated that data collection has already commenced in expanding the research documented in this book into an international study to include Guyana, Caribbean, Suriname, and Fiji, focusing on HIV and AIDS knowledge and stigma among adolescents.
The book’s focus is on adolescents, specifically high school students. Why the focus on adolescents? In answer to this question, Dr. Misir pointed out that recently, adolescents and young people within the 15 to 24 age group globally account for 40% of all new infections in adults. This concern relates to the perception that many adults in Guyana and elsewhere were graduating from HIV to an AIDS status in their twenties, implying that they would have contracted HIV in their adolescent years, given that the median time from HIV to AIDS is 9.4 years. Prem Book
In addition, this book on adolescence came out at a timely moment when the World Health Organisation (WHO) in collaboration with UNICEF, UNFPA, UNESCO, and the GNP+, presented a publication that brings adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) closely under the radar for HIV testing and counselling, treatment and care; the overview to this publication indicated that: “Adolescents (10–19 years) and young people (20–24 years) continue to be vulnerable, both socially and economically, to HIV infection despite efforts to date. This is particularly true for adolescents – especially girls – who live in settings with a generalised HIV epidemic or who are members of key populations at higher risk for HIV acquisition or transmission through sexual transmission and injecting drug use. In 2012, there were approximately 2.1 million adolescents living with HIV. About one-seventh of all new HIV infections occur during adolescence.”
Dr. Misir also used a cross-sectional study design with a purposive sample of high school students from 15 high schools in Guyana, to measure their HIV and AIDS knowledge and stigma-related attitudes and their relationships among gender, age, religious groups, and ethnicity. High school students scored a moderate level of HIV and AIDS knowledge. They had knowledge about modes of HIV transmission; symptoms of HIV and AIDS; about 50% of them saw a blood donor as being at risk of contracting HIV; and about 20% of the students believed in myths and misconceptions on HIV and AIDS. This study also revealed gaps in HIV and AIDS knowledge and stigma–related attitudes.
Misir’s presentation included univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses of the data. Under the univariate analysis, he noted that there was no difference between male and female students on knowledge as well as on stigma-related attitudes; the older age group showed greater knowledge; and about 40% of students showed stigma-related attitudes. Under the bivariate analysis, students in different religious groups and in different ethnic groups showed differences in knowledge and in stigma-related attitudes. The multivariate analysis using logistic regression analyses found that religious groups were significant predictors of HIV and AIDS knowledge as well as stigma-related attitudes.
Rotarians of the club thanked Dr. Misir for his presentation on such an important public health issue that affects not only populations in Guyana but globally. In attendance were also medical students from the Texila American University, representatives from CARICOM, National Public Health Reference Laboratory, and the Office of the President.
Dr. Misir’s presentation was made possible by the Rotary Club of Stabroek and Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar Samantha Henry. Rotary comprises of business and professional persons working together globally in humanitarian work, and to construct goodwill and peace.
The Royal Society for Public Health in England recently elected Dr. Prem Misir as a fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health. Professor Misir is a Visiting Professor in Public Health and Primary Care at Fiji National University and the Executive Director of the Health Sector Development Unit, Ministry of Health, Government of Guyana. He is the former Pro–Chancellor of the University of Guyana and currently teaches Research Methodology and Biostatistics with the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Guyana.

 

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.