AEGiS-14IAC: Behaviour change: The essential strategy for AIDS prevention.

14th International AIDS Conference


Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

DonateNow
Print this article

Behaviour change: The essential strategy for AIDS prevention.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. F11739)

Kyomugisha S, Katongole D, Nsubuga L
Philly Lutaaya Initiative / PWA Project, Kampala, Uganda

ISSUE: Today AIDS is becoming the leading cause of deaths. It's speed is amplified by related behavioural factors in individuals and in whole communities.

OBJECTIVE: The "education for life or the behaviour change" program is based on the "helping skills" model of General Egan, the skilled helper" This is a behavioural and problem solving model.

METHOD: It has been designed for use with groups that are living in an area where there is a high prevalence of the HIV infection and a need for safe sexual behaviour. Evaluation: This programme was chosen because AIDS prevention requires behaviour change and in most cases it is not easy to achieve. Information alone about the disease is not enough to enable someone to change their behaviour. The behavioural process however is designed to facilitate a person's movement through the various stages of behaviour. There are 3 sages which can be summarised as follows: - Stage I: Exploring the problem (a) telling the story (b) focusing especially on sexual behaviour (c) what has been overlooked e.g AIDS. Stage II: Setting goal (a) looking for alternative (b) critiqueing these (c) choosing and committing oneself.. Stage III: Action (a) identifying ways of acting (b) making plans (c) acting. RESULT: The whole process is geared towards helping for 3 days for purposes of awareness and for 6 days for leaders.

CONCLUSION: Individuals and whole communities have inherent capacities to change behaviour which power must be recognised, called forth and supported from within and without to enable people initiate change and sustain behaviours that promote a health state of mind, body and spirit. Behaviour change is possible, people should be helped to try it. Those with HIV must be given a supportive response as a preventative strategy.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Sex Behavior, HIV Infections, Prevalence, HIV Seropositivity, Evaluation Studies, prevention & controlKWDaegis,acquiredimmunodeficiencysyndrome,sexbehavior,hivinfections,prevalence,hivseropositivity,evaluationstudies,prevention&control

020707
F11739

Copyright © 2002 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.