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Is substance abuse a likely cause of unprotected sex on the farms?
A total of 63, 59% seem to be aware of the consequences of substance abuse in relation to unprotected sex. The implication is that there might be some connection between excessive consumption of alcohol and unprotected sexual intercourse, due to the inebriated person’s state of mind. The farming community might be prone to HIV infection due to alcohol abuse. The lack of recreational facilities on the farms inadvertently links with other factors such as excessive alcohol intake, migrant labour, commercial sex workers, and contributed to the underlying causes of the disease (DoH, 2007a: 8). It would be necessary for HIV education and training providers to indicate the social hazards of the excessive intake of alcohol.
Is kissing a likely means of possible HIV transmission?
The difference between the highest response (41.66% by those who were not aware of the oral transmission of HIV) and the next highest score (38.55% by those who were aware of the oral transmission of HIV) is merely 3.11% (about 7 respondents).
Such a narrow variation implies there is not sufficient awareness of HIV-related preventive and promotive strategies by the farm workers, which is in stark contrast of the observations which thus far indicated reasonable HIV awareness among the farm workers (e.g. the majority responses in questions 5.5.1 and 5.5.3. This aspect (of the oral transmission of HIV) would also have to be incorporated in the education programmes by professional HIV trainers.
Have you been tested for HIV and AIDS?
The majority (67.12% of the respondents) acknowledged that they have not undertaken an HIV test. This was a very serious cause for concern as it illustrates a lacklustre attitude towards preventive behaviour. The SAFM personnel and community members needed to be motivated to do so voluntarily. The prevalence of a 14.03% minority who undertook VCT implies that there is still hope for the inculcation of VCT among farm workers and the community in general.
Validity
The validity of the study is determined by the extent to which it accurately achieves what it had originally intended to achieve (Morse & Gibbs, 2002: 167-168; Gibbs, 2007: 93-94). Generalisability of the study’s findings is also a factor (determinant) of the validity of the findings. In a thematically- focused sense, the study’s purpose contextualises the extent of HIV/AIDS management in the designated farming communities. According to the Ministry of Health, HIV/AIDS among the designated communities is not only health care factor; it is also human a rights issue. In line with
constitutional provisions, the human rights perspective also observes the extent to which farm workers are accorded their full labour rights as free citizens and the basic health care in a democracy (RSA Constitution, 1996). The validity of the study then, is to be determined by the extent to which it accurately blended healthcare and other socio-economic dynamics as component factors of the investigation on “the hidden cohort” of the farms in the Vhembe and Mopani districts.
To the extent of actualising ‘the blending effect’, the validity of the study’s findings was aligned to the facilitation of content validity (investigating a core area of knowledge). Content validity was concerned with the sampling adequacy of the content area being measured. As an instrument based on judgement, it was relevant to individuals designing a test to measure knowledge in a specific content area. It was statistically more significant and focuses on a representative selection of participants. Other than the management sector of the designated farms, rank-andfile employees also participated in the investigation. The purpose of such a broadened inclusion criteria was to provide “a higher degree of balance and representativeness” (Talbot, 1995: 281). Additionally, content validity “… rested upon the careful consideration and specification of the behaviour or attributes that the researcher was interested in an evaluation of the ways in which the trail might be
measured” (Talbot, 1995: 281).
Due to the complexity of the field of HIV and AIDS in the context of the human rights culture, the pilot study was instituted in order to determine the efficacy of a content area. Consequently, the pilot study had an influence on the validity and reliability of the study’s findings by enhancing the refining of questions prior to the questionnaire’s full implementation (Sarantakos, 2000:167). The HIV/AIDS and human rights affinity meant that the content area could not be located within a single field of knowledge (Delport, 2002: 166). To that extent, the healthcare component was premised on the levels of HIV/AIDS awareness by farm workers in particular (as derived from both their narrative and written responses). On the other hand, the core of the human rights perspective was premised largely on the oral presentations by both the SAFM representative and the Tshakuma Clinic healthcare worker regarding healthcare policy/programme for the designated farms. The SAFM representative conceded that there was no HIV/AIDS policy for their farm employees which is an affront to the applicable labour and healthcare regulations. On the contrary, the Tshakuma Clinic healthcare worker indicated the challenges that had to be overcome at district level prior to the successful implementation of national and provincial HIV/AIDS stipulations concerning farm workers.
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Research Project
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Chapter 3: Conceptual Framework
Chapter 4: Research Design, Research Methodology and Data Collection Approaches
Chapter 5: Data Presentation and Data Analysis
Chapter 6: Evaluation and Monitoring, Limitations of the study, Recommendations and Conclusions.
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A HIDDEN COHORT: HIV AND AIDS AMONGST THE FARMING COMMUNITY
