AEGiS-15IAC: The concept of targeted HIV-education and safer sex promotion - experience in Mae Sariang District, Thailand: Choice of a suitable HIV-education strategy for different target groups.

15th International AIDS Conference

Bangkok, Thailand - July 11-16, 2004

The concept of targeted HIV-education and safer sex promotion - experience in Mae Sariang District, Thailand: Choice of a suitable HIV-education strategy for different target groups.

Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. E10244)

Cherdchuen NC, Steinert CS
Malteser Germany Foreign Department, Cologne, Germany

ISSUES: HIV-awareness and safer sex education have been major issues on the public health agenda in Thailand and elsewhere. The choice of strategy is most critical for success of such interventions. Different target groups have different needs, expectations and culture and suitable methods for HIV/AIDS-education need to be developed for each of these groups to succeed.

DESCRIPTION: The paper will outline and compare results of FGD with risk groups that provided baseline data for planning the interventions. It will further discuss different approaches used for HIV-awareness and safer sex promotion with various groups, for example military and border police, prisoners, students and informal sex-workers such as waitresses and massagers. Several motivators for the different target groups that have been identified and are currently used within the project will be described. Moreover, the paper will describe capacity building by provision of counselling training for medical staff of border police, prison and military as well as peer counselling training for members of a local HIV-group and prisoners as one of several methods used in HIV-education.

LESSONS LEARNED: If not particularly designed for a specific target group, educational interventions will not appeal to the target groups. Neither interest in training nor behaviour chance will take place. Recommendation: The project's experience shows that only if health education builds on existing knowledge and only when specific motivators that appeal to the target group are included in health education, interventions will succeed.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Seropositivity, Thailand, Safe Sex, Teaching, Advertising, Health Education, HIV Infections, Health Planning, Health Planning Guidelines, education, organization & administration

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