National study focuses on women living with HIV
Angela Kaida, an SFU professor of health sciences, is leading SFU in Canada’s cutting-edge research on the prevalence of HIV in women.
Without a doubt, the biological differences among men and women are vast, and include an increased susceptibility of women to HIV. This vulnerability is amplified by social and cultural factors such as poverty, marginalization, violence and gender inequalities.
Kaida is the BC lead of the Canadian HIV Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study (CHIWOS), a research project with three other principal investigators around the country that focuses on women-centered health care to address these issues. SFU is one of three Canadian universities associated with the project, along with a team of investigators from across the country who are collaborating on the study.
Robert Hogg, a fellow SFU health sciences professor and director of the Epidemiology and Population Health programat the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, leads the connection of CHIWOS to the Canadian Observational Cohort (CANOC) study.
“The etymology of HIV in women has been changing over the last few years,” explained Kaida. “The aim of the study is to see how women-centered health care may a make a difference in the lives of women living with HIV. We’re really trying to meet women where they’re at.”
CHIWOS’ methodology focuses on community-based research in Ontario, QuÂŽbec and British Columbia. The study is partnering with policy makers and HIV positive women from all social gradients across the country. The individuals who will profit from the study provides are part of the collection process, and that’s where the emphasis on community lies.
Already, interesting findings have come out of the BC portion of the study regarding the province’s Aboriginal population. In BC, one third of HIV-positive women are Aboriginal, a finding that is not reflected in Ontario or QuÂŽbec.
Leah Bjornson & Mariele Guerrero
The Peak
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