15th International AIDS Conference Bangkok, Thailand - July 11-16, 2004

Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. MoOrD1061)

Anderson T
National Association of People with AIDS - USA, Washington, DC, United States

ISSUES: Increasing attention is being focused on prevention programmes that target interventions for people living with HIV/AIDS. Yet relatively little scientific evidence documents effective interventions in this area, and even less has been documented about what prevention activities are desired or likely to be accepted by HIV-positive individuals and communities.

DESCRIPTION: The National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) in the United States conducted a series of focus groups and participatory consensus-building sessions among diverse groups of HIV-infected people in various parts of the United States to identify HIV-positive people's perspectives on HIV prevention services. This process resulted in the development of a series of 14 "principles" for effective prevention activities designed to influence the risk taking behaviours of people living with HIV/AIDS.

LESSONS LEARNED: The consensus document that resulted from this process ("Principles of HIV Prevention with Positives") includes 14 key points that should serve as the basis of developing effective programmes to impact the risk-taking behaviours of people living with HIV/AIDS. These principles embrace the idea that HIV-positive people have a central role to play in the prevention of HIV, while insisting that interventions be based in the reality of the unique life experiences of those living with HIV. If incorporated into the design of prevention activities, these principles offer the opportunity of more effective, culturally relevant and community-accepted approaches to enlisting HIV-positive people as partners in efforts to reduce HIV risk behaviours and lessen transmission of HIV.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Those organisations and public health entities contemplating the development of prevention programmes for those living with HIV/AIDS should become familiar with the perspectives of those living with HIV/AIDS. Use of the principles developed by NAPWA, or similar localized efforts to ascertain and incorporate community preferences and concerns, should be part of such efforts.

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MoOrD1061

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