16th International AIDS Conference Toronto, Canada - August 13 - 18, 2006

MEASUREMENT AIDS: IMPROVING MEASUREMENT OF CULTURE IN HIV/AIDS RESEARCH

Int Conf AIDS. 2006 Aug 13-18;16 Abstract No. ThAd0205

McDonnell T.E., Gazley J.L.
Northwestern University, Sociology, Evanston, United States

ISSUES: Are we measuring what we think we are measuring? This research investigates changes in measurement techniques applied to prevention and testing interventions. As the possibility of a vaccine fades further into the future, the effectiveness and sensitivity of prevention efforts become increasingly crucial.

DESCRIPTION: Our research traces the history of key measures of culture, attitudes and practices used in HIV research since 1996 across discipline, region, and over time. We survey articles from AIDS specific journals, and leading journals in medicine and social sciences, to examine the prevalence of these measures and their efficacy.

LESSONS LEARNED: We argue that inappropriate, insensitive measures hinder evidence-based prevention research. Although AIDS researchers recognize that HIV/AIDS interventions need to be "culturally sensitive" we do not have sensitive measures of culture. In the literature, 'culture' often serves as a proxy for race or ethnicity, complex cultural meanings reduce to dichotomous variables in a "KAP" survey, and cultural factors awkwardly fit into biology-based research paradigms.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Drawing from advances in social science research, we offer alternative measures of culture, attitudes and practices for use in assessing prevention interventions and analyzing drivers of the HIV epidemic.

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2006-08-13
ThAd0205

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