2022 IB Diploma Extended Essays

5. Conclusion Ultimately, to answer the initial research question, “To what extent do socioeconomic factors affect the prevalence of HIV/AIDS using case studies in Botswana, South Africa, and Australia”, it can be concluded that there is a definite correlation between both variables. Australia displays a higher socioeconomic standard than Botswana and South Africa while also having a relatively low HIV prevalence. In contrast, both South Africa and Botswana show a lower socioeconomic standard with higher unemployment and sex crime rates, while having one of the world’s most HIV cases. This also correlates to the health facility standard of each nation, shown in table 1. A significant relationship between both variables is identified in Botswana as it has one of the most HIV cases in the world as well as one of the most sexual assault reports in the world, confirming the fact that sexual violence increases the risk of contracting HIV, hence, higher HIV cases. Additionally, the relationship between level of income and unemployment rate with HIV prevalence as the presence of either one of these variables creates a vicious poverty cycle, which further showcases the extent of the relationship. Overall, it can be concluded that HIV is one of the many reasons for the high rates of crime and unemployment, but also HIV/AIDS can be caused by these same socioeconomic factors. In future, it would be worth expanding the scope of this study by exploring other socioeconomic factors and looking at various other case studies situated in different continents.

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