SOME SOCIAL FEATURE OF STD PATIENTS IN ADDIS ABABA -ETHIOPIA

Abstract

ABSTRACT:

Sill patients who attended four health centers in Addis Ababa were asked to respond to a questionnaire prepared by the Sill Division of the Department of AIDS Control of the Ministry of Health. Data on demographic features, current and previous exposure to Sills as well as behavioural data related to the actual problem was collected. 60% of the respondents were male and 40% were female. Two thirds of Sill patients in both sexes were unmarried and many of them unemployed. The educational level of females was found lower than in males; attendance at earlier symptomatic stages of diseases was found to correlate with higher level of the educational background in males, while no similar relation was observed in females. 80% of the patients came a week or more after the onset of symptoms, and 60% had no treatment prior to the attendance. These findings signify the need to establish the factors responsible for the delay in seeking health care, in order to plan for intervention. Further study on a larger sample is recommended for better understanding of the social and behavioral features of Sill patients.