What's culture got to do with HIV and AIDS?

Developing creative cultural approaches to HIV prevention work. This paper from Healthlink Worldwide argues that developing more effective cultural approaches to HIV prevention should be a priority. The paper draws on the preliminary findings of a study co-sponsored by the United Nations Economic, Social and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to examine the role of culture in HIV work. The predominance of a Western biomedical model in HIV policymaking means that the use of cultural approaches is currently very limited. Where such cultural approaches are being used the emphasis is usually on delivering a message and promoting behaviour change, rather than on facilitating communication and empowerment. The paper cites the recent rise in HIV prevalence in Uganda, where there has been a strong emphasis on promoting abstinence, as evidence of the failure of the current approach.

The paper recommends that the cultural dimension of the HIV pandemic be addressed through practical action in country strategies and at field level. Donors need to become more confident about using diverse cultural approaches to HIV prevention, and move away from mass media campaigns. Different methods of monitoring and evaluation have to be developed for assessing the effectiveness of programmes that use cultural interventions. According to the paper, the existing monitoring systems only track behaviour change but other outcomes, such as increased knowledge and awareness, also need to be accounted for. (2007)

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