Marginalized Groups and Health Education About HIV Infection and AIDS (From AIDS: Social Representations, Social Practices, P 211-219, 1989, Peter Aggleton, Graham Hart, et al, eds. -- See NCJ-130840)

• NCJ Number: 130853
• Author(s): T Wiseman
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 9 pages
• Sale Source: Taylor & Francis Inc.
• Publication Type: Conference Material
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom
• Note: Paper presented at the Second United Kingdom Conference on Social Aspects of AIDS, 1987, London

Annotation

It is widely accepted that efforts to deal with the public health threat posed by HIV infection depend on health education and not on a drug or vaccine.

Abstract

In order to be effective, however, health education must speak directly to the needs of a wide range of groups. British programs to date have tended to focus on high-risk groups or on some ill-defined general population. As a result, many people feel they are not at risk of infection and make little effort to protect themselves. There is an important parallel between goals of health educators and those of development workers in the Third World. In both cases, community participation is a prerequisite for sustainable development. Many marginalized groups have been alienated in the community because insufficient attention has been paid to their particular needs. These include ethnic minority groups, young people, the physically disabled, and persons with learning disabilities. Effective health education should encourage marginalized and alienated groups to interact and learn from each other and health promoters. The success of health interventions depends on the quality of interaction, and health educators and health promoters must listen to and learn from their prospective clients before they can help them make rational decisions about their lives. 8 references and 2 figures