Background: Stigma is a major hurdle in overcoming the HIV epidemic and affects almost all people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). In India, though majority of PLWHA are men, gender gap is narrowing with rates of infection increasing in women, most commonly due to transmission from their partners. Gender inequality in social and economic context leads women to vulnerability. The purpose of this study was to assess gender differences in the perceived stigma and hope in PLWHA, and to study the correlation of perceived stigma with hope and age in this population.Methods: The sample was 68 HIV patients attending HAART clinic of a tertiary government hospital. Patients were assessed using Barbara Berger stigma scale and Herth hope index, and their scores were subjected to inferential statistical methods such as t-tests and correlation analysis.Results: Although there are no gender differences in perceived stigma, there is an inverse relationship of many components of perceived stigma with hope in women. It was also found that women members of PLWHA group feel significantly less hopeful than men. Age was noted to have an inverse relationship with perceived stigma in men.Conclusions: Greater attention is warranted to this growing proportion of HIV positive women in health policies and to alleviate their suffering which is multiplied as being socially disadvantaged due to their gender. This study highlights the need of special attention to women with HIV in health settings. Further research is needed to understand the relation of social support and depression with perceived social support.

Background:Smoking in adolescents is related to multiple factors like genetics, family variables and peer preference and influence. The aim of the following study was to study the prevalence of smoking and age of initiation college students while comparing peer preferences in smoker and non-smoker college students. Methods: 100 college students were divided on the basis of current smoking status into two groups. These two groups were administered the Evers-Pasquale peer preference test and the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS). Sociodemographic variables were assessed using a semi-structured proforma. The data was then statistically analysed. Results: The prevalence of current smoking was 54%. Almost 44% of college students had initiated smoking at or after 16 years of age, whereas only 4% of the entire sample had initiated smoking before 10 years of age. Close to one fifth (18.52%) of current smokers smoked daily and smoked cigarettes first in morning suggesting dependence. Students who currently smoked were most likely to engage in any activity in the company of best friends, followed by cool friends (p = 0.0001). Conclusion: Smoking and peer pressure are linked and there is a need for tobacco intervention programmes to be directed at adolescent specific factors. Further research is needed to understand other factors promoting smoking like personality factors, social influence, genetic factors etc.