The intervention for dealing with AIDS which I have chosen to describe is the Retrovir brand Zidovudine (AZT or ZDV). Retrovir belongs to a class of anti-HIV drugs called Nucleoside Reverse Transcription Inhibitors (NRTIs). Zidovudine is not a cure for HIV/AIDS; it acts to inhibit the reproduction of HIV in the body. The HIV virus can still be transmitted to others during therapy with this medication.

This intervention is consistent with the 'disease' view of dealing with health because Zidovudine deals with the symptoms of HIV once it has been diagnosed. The disease view is contrasted with the individual determinants view of health whereupon health is seen as resulting from many factors, and by altering one of these factors

(see Part B), a person's risk of contracting the HIV virus is decreased.

Once prescribed to Zidovudine the basic requirement of the patient is that they take one 300mg tablet twice a day. This is a smal

Using condoms falls under the more expansive view of health because condoms are a method of combating HIV/AIDS that is available to everybody, not just those who have or are at high risk for HIV/AIDS. A preventative policy must be directed not solely towards those at risk for HIV, but towards moving the entire distribution of behaviour among the population as a whole.

l but reasonably insignificant behavioral change; although presumably once diagnosed with HIV most patients will cease high-risk behaviour such as unsafe sex in order to prevent transmission of the virus to others.

Another factor that may result in differences between schools as a function of socio-economic status is religion. Families living in higher socio-economic areas will have more children at private schools, which are often religion based. In New Zealand, the most common religion for a private high school is Christianity. Christian schools place a high emphasis on the importance of sex education, although this education may be biased or may not cover some relevant points. For example, in some Catholic schools the subject of condoms may be only briefly skimmed over or possibly completely omitted, as they are a method of contraception.

Under the disease view the patient is required to take a daily dosage of the anti-HIV drug Zidovudine which inhibits the spread of HIV in the body. Aside from taking this intervention and the associated side effects, the intervention should not greatly change the patient's lifestyle or general behaviour. Under the individual determinants view, the patient themself takes responsibility for the prevention of contracting HIV, whereas under the disease view a medical professional is responsible for prescribing the intervention.

On the other hand, students at many private schools are given a comprehensive sex education, as the school realizes that some students are likely to be having sex and it is better that they are well informed about the risks of sex and methods of contraception than practicing unsafe sex.

Some common words found in the essay are:
NRTIs Zidovudine, Christianity Christian, South Auckland, , Pacific Island, socio-economic status, ZDV Retrovir, Pacific Islanders, individual determinants, determinants view, uptake rates, individual determinants view, using condoms, lower socio-economic, function socio-economic status, schools function, drug alcohol, hiv virus, function socio-economic, schools function socio-economic, uptake rates schools, Maori Pacific, culture gender expectations,
Approximate Word count = 1653
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)