The impact of the AIDS epidemic in Ghana is a significant concern to the social and economic wellbeing in the country.Privileging prevention, gendering responsibility: an analysis of the Ghanaian campaign against HIV/AIDS is an article by Caroline Faria that examines the discourses around HIV/AIDS efforts within the public health campaign and non-governmental publications. Faria has a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Washington (The University of Texas, n.d.). The article was published on February 1, 2008, in the Social and Cultural Geography Journal. HIV risk environment for Ghanaian women: challenges to prevention is an article by Mill and Anarfi that examines the challenges faced by HIV seropositive Ghanaian women. The article was written in 2002, in the Social Science & Medicine Journal. Judy Mill has a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Maryland, while Anarfi has a Ph.D. in Population studies (National Tutorial and Consulting Services, n.d.; “John KwasiAnarfi,”n.d.).

The article privileging prevention, gendering responsibility: an analysis of the Ghanaian campaign against HIV/AIDS delves into analyzing texts collected in Greater Ghana between June 2001 and September 2003. The researcher notes that the discourse revolves around advocating behavioral change as a more cost-effective strategy over prevention-treatment approaches. The study postulates that the Ghanaian culture emphasizes responsibility towards women while men are portrayed as passive partners in HIV transmission and prevention. HIV prevention efforts in Ghana needs to recognize the importance of treatment actions in fighting the epidemic, rather than using behavior change as it is less effective. In the article by Mill and Abnarfi, the researchers explore the experiences faced by HIV positive Ghanaian women. The study found that the cultural,social, and economicaspects influenced the HIV infection rates in Ghanaian women.

Faria works as a political feminist and economic geography researcher in Africa (UTA, n.d.). In her research, Faria uses quantitative research and secondary texts collection as the primary data collection method. The researcher interviewed twenty HIV/AIDS affiliated professionals including lawyers, doctors, volunteers, social workers, journalists, community organizers, advocates, and social workers (Falia, 2008, p. 45). Finally, Falia performed data analysis using Rose’s guide of visual analysis (Falia, 2008, p. 46). From the research analysis,Fraia concludes that traditionalism plays a significant role in shaping women’s perception as instigators of preventive behavior. The result of shifting the burden of HIV/AIDS preventive measures results in less focus on concrete preventive measures from occurring.

Miller is a retired nurse educator in baccalaureate and associate degree programs, while Anarfi works as a post-retirement contractor at Regional Institute for Population Studies (NTC, n.d.; “John KwasiAnarfi,”n.d.).Mill and Abnarfi took a different approach from Falia in conducting their study. In collecting primary data, the researchers conducted data through focus groups and in-depth interviews and then recruited thirty-one HIV positive women for an interview (Mill &Anarfi, 2002, p. 327). The collected data was then analyzed. From the results, the study concluded that the socio-economic factors in Ghanaian society, shaped the perception of women on HIV transmission and prevention, and the critique experienced in HIV prevention discourse resulted in an ineffectual health intervention (Mill &Anarfi, 2002, p. 334).

In Privileging prevention, gendering responsibility: an analysis of the Ghanaian campaign against HIV/AIDS, the risk factors in the society are found to be based on individual actions towards sexual behaviors. In Ghana, women are taken as responsible for societal sexual conduct, while men are perceived to be unreliable in the fight against HIV/AIDS (Falia, 2008, p. 67). Falia’s article gave me insight into how societal beliefs can affect HIV prevention and treatment. The article HIV risk environment for Ghanaian women: challenges to prevention identifies several traits that increase the risk factors. Reliance on men for survival, the negative association of condom with prostitution, and the inability to influence decision-making in the society are the socio-economic factors identified in the study hindering HIV intervention efforts in Ghanaian women. These circumstances show the gender inequality is rampant in Ghanaian society. The study leaves out the political aspect, which could have shed light on the leadership role in propagating the problem. The article gave me an insight into how socio-economic factors play a role in HIV infection and treatment. Both studies are important to me as they have expanded my knowledge of why the Ghanaian community effort in fighting HIV is failing. The usefulness of the studies is that they show the correlation between women empowerment and risk factor reduction in HIV transmission.

Falia’s study shows women as vectors of HIV transmission, while in Mill and Anarfi women are portrayed as victims of the socio-economic factors.

Factors affecting HIV/AIDS transmission and treatment amongst women in Ghana are socio-economic. I love how Falia’s research examines behavioral change as a significant factor preventing society from embracing HIV preventive and treatment activities.The article proposes that the Ghanaian society should recognize the limitations on behavior change, and adopt policies that encourage treatment actions as a more cost-effective option. In the article by Mill and Anarfi, I feel that the researchers delved deeper into the socio-economic factors affecting Ghana women.The report advocates the Ghanaian community should target the economic, social, and cultural factors in policy-making, to curb the rise in HIV transmission.

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