Int Conf AIDS. 1998;12:1008 (abstract no. 60038). Unique Identifier :

Soldiers' wives are very vulnerable to HIV infection and transmission, thus, tangible interventions are highly required to reverse the situation. Reports indicate the vulnerability of women to HIV infection due to various factors. Soldiers' wives, unlike women in the civilian settings are faced with a double risk of contracting HIV through the ordinary risk factors and from the high exposure of their husbands to HIV. Given that military personnel are among the most susceptible populations to HIV/AIDS. They are mostly young and sexually active, are often away from home and are governed more by peer pressure, are inclined to feel invincible and take risks. They are surrounded by opportunity for causal sex, and also deal with wounded comrades. In developing countries, economic situations put these wives in special position. Husbands earn so little, which cannot sustain the family when the men are in operations. The mostly unemployed wives are at times forced into casual sex to earn a living. Mostly, education programmes target soldiers and leave the wives with a gap of information. This reduces the opportunity for women to discuss safer sex, rendering them vulnerable to infection. This lack of effective on to the grounnd HIV awareness programmes in many military settings have isolated the soldiers and their wives to education where it is offered. Empowerment of soldiers wives and their education is an effective tool in reducing the vulnerability to infection to this risky category of the population. HIV and STDs education programmes in the army can only be effective when targeting both the soldiers and their wives.

MEETING ABSTRACTS Adult *Developing Countries Female Health Education Human HIV Infections/PREVENTION & CONTROL/*TRANSMISSION Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Male *Military Personnel Prostitution Risk Factors *Spouses Uganda