Document 1916 DOCN M94A1916 TI AIDS prevention and social change: going beyond the dissemination of information. DT 9412 AU Carrillo H; Checcos, A.C., Guadalajara, Mexico. SO Int Conf AIDS. 1994 Aug 7-12;10(1):422 (abstract no. PD0296). Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ICA10/94370659 AB OBJECTIVE: To analyze the cultural and structural barriers that prevent people who are already informed about HIV transmission from using protection during sex. METHOD: Ethnographic in-depth interviews with a sample of 100 men and women in Guadalajara, Mexico. The emphasis was the exploration of cultural meanings that the research subjects assign to sexual matters in three different areas: the definition of a sexual identity, the definition of sex and the elements that influence its practice, and moral values about sexual practices and sexual diversity. The subjects' responses where analyzed in the context of their own personal history regarding their learning about sex and the development of their sexual lives. RESULTS: A complex set of factors preventing the use of protection against HIV was identified. Among them are lack of planning and verbal communication before and during sex, a view that love and condoms do not mix, issues of trust in the sexual partner, power differences between sexual partners, a lack of a well defined sexual identity, the absence of sexual education, and contradictions caused by the mix of traditional moral values with modern values about sexuality. CONCLUSION: Most educational interventions worldwide are dedicated to the dissemination of information on HIV transmission and condom use. The results of this study, however, demonstrate that the task in hand is more complex, and that social change must place a role in the long-term goals of AIDS prevention: the fight for the rights of women and sexual minorities, the need for sexual education for children and adolescents, and the use of methods of participatory education. DE Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/*PREVENTION & CONTROL/ TRANSMISSION Condoms Female Human Human Rights HIV Infections/*PREVENTION & CONTROL/TRANSMISSION Male Mexico Minority Groups *Sex Behavior *Sex Education *Social Change Women's Rights MEETING ABSTRACT SOURCE: National Library of Medicine. NOTICE: This material may be protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).