Thai Language Skill and HIV Counseling among
Hilltribe People: A Hospital-Based Study in Chiang Rai
YINGLAK APISITSAOWAPA, B.N.S.*,
KRISADA JONGSAKUL, M.D.*,
GEORGE WATT, M.D., D.T.M. & H.*,
VALAILUK PRASIT, B.Sc. (Nursing)*,
PACHAREE KANTIPONG, M.D.**,
ARTHUR E. BROWN, M.D., M.P.H.*
Affiliation : * Department of Retrovirology, U.S. Army Component, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Science
(AFRIMS), Bangkok 10400,
** Department of Internal Medicine, Chiang Rai Regional Hospital, Chiang Rai 57000, Thailand.
AbstractTwenty-nine hilltribe individuals from 6 different ethnic groups were among a group
of 70 patients included in an investigation of interactions between HIV -1 virus infection and
common tropical illnesses. Approximately half of the hilltribe subjects (14/29) required the aid
of an interpreter for HIV counseling because they could neither speak nor understand the Thai
language. The 5 HIV seropositive hilltribe individuals were younger than their seronegative coun-
terparts (26 vs 37 years respectively; p<0.05) and had less need of an interpreter (0% vs 58%
respectively; p<0.05). Inability to speak and understand Thai limits the access of some ethnic
minority subjects to HIV counseling, testing and education.
Keywords : AIDS, HIV Counseling, Hilltribe, Thailand
All Articles
Download
