AEGiS-11IAC: Women, sexuality and HIV/AIDS prevention.

11th International AIDS Conference


Vancouver, British Columbia — July 7-12, 1996

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Women, sexuality and HIV/AIDS prevention.

Int Conf AIDS 1996 Jul 7-12; 11:490 (abstract no. Pub.D.1336)
Laski M, Hofman S, Perkins H, Palma Z; Mental and Community Health Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Fax: (54 1) 443-2888.

ISSUE: Research on cultural issues (myths, beliefs, sexual customs) that difficult women's sexual health care. Women training programme aimed to improve conditions to negotiate the use of condoms with their sexual partners.

PROJECT: Workshops were made for women's, men's and mixed groups. They were developed in different institutions: elementary schools (for teachers), secondary schools (for pupils), universities (for students and professors), health centers, community gatherings, women's groups. The workshop topics were about sexuality issues and/or about HIV/AIDS.

RESULTS: 640 women and 430 men between 15 and 55 years old participated in the workshops. The obstacles that women and men mentioned for having protected intercourse were: difficult to perceive the risk situation, values about couples relationships (stability, fidelity, confidence, love), uncomfortableness or displeasure to use condoms, social class prejudices and educational level. Women mentioned; shame, fear of their partner's rejection, fear to lose their partners, obedience to accepted sexual behavior. Men mentioned: anxiety due to women's social status changes, distrust on women who propose them to use condoms and rejection to women who express their own knowledge. After the workshops some women told us that they had got better resources to negotiate the use of condom with men. They had got better conditions to negotiate in other issues also (jobs, money, autonomy, etc.).

LESSONS LEARNED: We have to work with women and men about gender issues very strongly and deeply to achieve effective sexual health care.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Condoms, Sexuality, Sexual Partners, HIV Infections, Risk-Taking, Students, HIV Seropositivity, Universities, Communication, Social Behavior, Risk, Human, Female, Male, prevention & control, ICA11KWDaegis,acquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome,condoms,sexuality,sexualpartners,hivinfections,risk-taking,students,hivseropositivity,universities,communication,socialbehavior,risk,human,female,male,prevention&control,ica11

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PubD1336

Copyright © 1996 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.