By Charles Olusegun DOHERTY SITUATION ANALYSIS OF HIV PREVENTION INTERVENTION AMONG YOUNG PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES (PWD) IN EKITI STATE By Charles Olusegun DOHERTY

Background The Project was premised on the fact that many programmes and activities on HIV and AIDS have never been taking into cognizance the inclusion of persons with Disabilities (PWD) in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Little is known about HIV and AIDS within disabled population, yet growing evidences showed that PWD are at equal or increased risk of exposure to all known risk factors. The objective of the study was to examine the situation analysis of HIV/AIDS prevention interventions among PWD, ensuring that PWD are targeted for HIV prevention activities.

Methodology Situation assessment was conducted in three PWDs institutions and their host communities. The assessment was carried out by Eyelosun Organization supported by Ekiti State HIV Programme Development Project II. A simple random sample technique was used. The assessment tools examined the four (4)critical areas: (1) An Overview of the PWD assessment response and the consent note (2) General information and their Health seeking behavior (3) PWD’s perception and the knowledge about HIV (4) PWD’s attitude and practice toward HIV prevention intervention.

Methodology contd: Quantitative data were collected, collated and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20.0. The analysis was a simple descriptive statistics of the responses using a cross tabulation of the percentages and counts.

Results Distribution of respondent by disability included visually impaired 16%, Hearing impaired 48%, intellectually impaired 6%, Mobility impaired 7%; those with more than one disability 23%; The findings showed that 75% of the respondent are sexually active while 22% were not, 78% of respondent claimed to have started engaging in sexual activities such as sexual intercourse, masturbation, oral sex, dating, phonograph and sex film.

Results HIV prevention activities among PWD indicates that only 2% have been reached with Peer Education, 32% with STI services, 35% with condom message, and 10% with HIV prevention activities. HCT uptake among PWD was 10% out of the number tested, 85% did not collect result. However, condom use by PWD care providers were 32% and condom accessibility among their care provider was 42%.

Conclusions and Recommendations Although PWD are sexually active with a reasonable number involved in high risky behaviour and yet HIV prevention activities and services remain abysmally low among them. There should be intervention targeting increasing knowledge among the PWDs.