The Impact of Low Health Literacy to Social Relationship of the People Living with HIV/AIDS

摘要

The development of HIV/AIDS is not only caused by virus, but also by the low health literacy. The low health literacy can also lead to various social problems including impeding the people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) social relationship. This study aims to describe 1) The cause of low health literacy in PLWHA and 2) The impact of low health literacy on PLWHA social relations. This study used qualitative approach, and used interview and observation by Focus Group Discussion (FGD) as data collection techniques. Meanwhile, the subjects of this study are PLWHA and Peer Support Groups. This study found that (1) the low health literacy is caused by low education, myths, HIV/AIDS knowledge dissemination and uneven communication system, and the contents of the message in an inappropriate campaign of HIV/AIDS, and (2) the impact of low health literacy is the disruption of PLWHA social relations because they will isolate themselves to be paranoid, self-stigmatized, non-self-disclosure, more aggressive-destructive, vengeful, and unconsciously infecting HIV to others.