A Qualitative Assessment of Health Perceptions in Patients of HIV at a Tertiary Level HIV Clinic

It is clearly understood that people address, understand and cope with their health problems with reference to their perception about health and illness. It is in this light that the present study has been taken up to explore the health perception of patients with HIV. The sample consisted of 60 HIV patients- 30 males and 30 females. A major variable was gender. Self designed open-ended questionnaire consisting of 24 items was used. The responses obtained were content analyzed and percentage analysis was done. The results showed that both males and females had poor health awareness. The coping strategies employed by them showed that both males and females feel anxious when they are sick (55%). Sex stereotype seems to be all pervasive, having effect in the present results as well, with more males reporting rest when sick (26.67%) as compared to their female counterparts (6.67%). Poor base of health awareness serves as a stepping stone for creating a preventive intervention package for increasing their health awareness and more positive outlook towards health instead of disease.