AIDS Stigma and Gender: Health Consequences in Urban India

This study is a collaboration between UCSF, UC Davis, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore and the TATA Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. The field sites are located in Bangalore and Mumbai, two large Indian cities situated in high HIV prevalence states. The study is designed to:

• Examine the nature, extent, and context of AIDS stigma and discrimination by gender, at multiple levels, among people coming into contact with urban health care systems, including: people living with HIV/AIDS, healthcare staff and the general population of patients seeking healthcare in outpatient settings.
• Measure the health-relevant consequences of AIDS stigma and discrimination among both perpetrators and targets of stigma. These include the influence of stigma on HIV testing, on disclosure, on treatment seeking, and on willingness to provide care and treatment.
• Develop a culturally-specific theoretical understanding of AIDS stigma and health in urban India as well as measures of AIDS stigma that can be used to evaluate future stigma reduction policies and programs in healthcare and community settings among victims and perpetrators.
• Develop empirically-based programs and policy recommendations to reduce AIDS-related stigma and discrimination in urban Indian healthcare settings and to disseminate these.