NCJ Number
130847
Date Published
1989
Length
20 pages
Annotation
In England and Wales, gay men currently constitute the largest group of diagnosed cases of AIDS and of individuals reported as HIV positive.
Abstract
An understanding of beliefs, attitudes, and other social factors that influence the sexual behavior of gay men in response to AIDS is therefore an essential prerequisite to the development of appropriate health education. Much of the attention and effort in England have gone into refining the ability to monitor basic patterns of at-risk behavior and levels of awareness about AIDS. In order to understand present and future health and social service needs associated with AIDS and to evaluate the impact of public and other health education services, there is a need to have accurate indications of basic changes in high-risk behavior. Research groups in England, such as Project Stigma, have shown beyond any doubt how difficult the fundamental task of measuring gay sexual behavior is. The same problems will be encountered as research on heterosexual behavior gains momentum. Statutory and voluntary services concerned with educating, counseling, and advising individuals to change their sexual behavior will increasingly need systematic evidence on the social diversity of at-risk groups and social processes related to beliefs, attitudes, and feelings that promote or inhibit behavior changes. Important factors in AIDS research are risk, knowledge, locus of control, social support, costs and benefits, age, and testing. 47 references