141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

291258
Exploring HIV stigma and transphobia among health care providers in Mumbai, India: Preliminary findings from project shakti

Monday, November 4, 2013 : 1:00 PM - 1:15 PM

Swagata Banik, PhD , Center for Health Disparities Research & Education, Baldwin Wallace University, Berea, OH
Ankur Srivastava, M.Phil , Humsafar Trust, Mumbai, India
Maninder Setia, M.D., MPH, PhD , Karanam Consultancy, Mumbai, India
Hemangi Jerajani, M.D. , Dermatology, MGM Medical College, Mumbai, India
Vivek Anand , Humsafar Trust, Mumbai, India
Walter Bockting, PhD , Division of Gender, Sexuality, & Health, NYS Psychiatric Institute / Columbia Psychiatry with the Columbia University School of Nursing, NY
Leslie Fisher, PhD , Department of Psychology, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
The prevalence of HIV/STIs are disproportionately higher among hijras, a sociology-culturally distinct sub-group of transgender women, than any other high-risk group in India, a country with third largest HIV infected population in the world. As a result, India's National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) identified HIV prevention among hijras to be one of the key priorities. Stigma among health care provider limits HIV testing, treatment and care and creates a barrier to HIV protective behavior. However, data on the nature and extent of stigmatization, and the factors that contribute to stigmatization of hijras by health care providers is limited. Such an evidence base is necessary in order to inform an effective, culturally sensitive stigma reduction intervention to promote HIV prevention among hijras. As a formative part of a larger study that intends to develop and pilot a hijra-specific stigma reduction intervention among health care providers in Mumbai called, “Project SHAKTI (Stigma reduction, Health care providers Awareness & Knowledge enhance on Transgender Issues, India)”and jointly funded by National Institutes of Sciences (NIH) and Indian Council of Medical research (ICMR), the current presentation describes preliminary findings on the myriad forms of stigma and discrimination experienced by hijras in health care sectors in Mumbai (e.g., denial and/or delay in providing treatment, sexual stigma, discrimination due to gender-nonconformity) based on four focus group discussions and five key informant interviews with hijra community members across Mumbai. The presentation highlights the implications of experienced and perceived stigma by health care providers on HIV/STI risk behavior among hijras.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Advocacy for health and health education
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the nature and extent of HIV stigma experienced by hijras within healthcare sectors in Mumbai. Discuss the pattern of gender-nonconformity stigma experienced by hijras within health care sectors in Mumbai. Analyze the impact of experienced and perceived stigma from health care providers on HIV/STI risk behavior and care among hijras.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Access to Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the U.S. based Principle Investigator of this project funded by NIH.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.