Document 2078
 DOCN  M94A2078
 TI    Tackling unsafe sex in gay community education.
 DT    9412
 AU    Bartos MR; Victorian AIDS Council/Gay Men's Health Centre, Melbourne,;
       Australia.
 SO    Int Conf AIDS. 1994 Aug 7-12;10(1):386 (abstract no. PD0152). Unique
       Identifier : AIDSLINE ICA10/94370497
 AB    The extent of behaviour change by gay men in the first decade of the
       HIV/AIDS epidemic in many countries has been remarkable. Gay community
       education has successfully promoted the message of safe or safer sex,
       including condom use for anal intercourse. In part by virtue of this
       success, the reasons for the continued practise of unprotected anal
       intercourse by gay men have not been tackled effectively in education
       campaigns. This paper examines some recent proposals for community based
       HIV prevention education campaigns in Australia directed at gay and
       other homosexually active men. Two types of strategy are
       considered--those that deal with risk assessments, and those that seek
       to intervene in the construction of meaning and desire in sex. Education
       strategies are needed to engage with the complex and sophisticated
       judgements that gay and other homosexually active men are making in
       relation to sex. These risk assessments include those in the context of
       relationships, and assumptions about who is and who is not likely to
       have HIV. Strategies which tackle the deep seated desires for
       unprotected anal intercourse are also considered, as collective cultural
       interventions, where public health's traditional measures of successful
       outcomes may have to be suspended for a while. These proposals for HIV
       prevention education are placed in the context of debates around the
       nature of sexual decision making and health promotion. A model of HIV
       prevention as cultural intervention in collectively based, meaning laden
       patterns of sexuality is developed.
 DE    Condoms  *Health Education  Health Promotion  *Homosexuality  Human  HIV
       Infections/*PREVENTION & CONTROL/TRANSMISSION  Knowledge, Attitudes,
       Practice  Male  Risk Factors  *Sex Behavior  Sex Education  Victoria
       MEETING ABSTRACT

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).