Advancing the Prevention Agenda for HIV and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections in South China: Social Science Research to Inform Effective Public Health Interventions

Abstract

Despite widespread biomedical advances in treatment, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI) continue to affect a large portion of the world's population. The profoundly social nature of behaviorally driven epidemics and disparities across socioeconomic divides in the distribution of HIV/STI and care outcomes emphasize the need for innovative, multilevel interventions. Interdisciplinary approaches to HIV/STI control are needed to combine insights from the social and biological sciences and public health fields. In this concluding essay to a Special Issue on HIV/STI in south China, we describe the evolution of China's HIV/STI epidemics and the government response; then synthesize findings from the 11 studies presented in this issues to extend seven recommendations for future HIV/STI prevention and care research in China. We discuss lessons learned from forging international collaborations between social science and public health to inform a shared research agenda to better meet the needs of those most affected by HIV and other STI.

HIV prevalence among female sex workers in Guigang City, Guangxi, China: an 8-year consecutive cross-sectional study

“…It is possibly that these findings are related to indications of greater use of governmental programs that distributed free condoms, provided educational materials and lessons, and peer support. Previous research has indicated that FSW in China are reporting higher rates of consistent condom use and HIV testing, [ 13 , 30 ] and that these rates have both be improved through the use of behavioral interventions [ 13 , 31 ]. Future studies need to more specifically examine the impact of these governmental programs by examining evaluation data that has been collected during those efforts.…”

As Novas Faces Da Saúde: Tecnologia E Multidisciplinaridade No Contexto Atual

“…A presença de um psicólogo e/ou assistente social demonstrou importante diferença no acompanhamento, uma vez que fomenta a análise do comportamento sexual mantendo vida sexualmente ativa e saudável para si e para os parceiros. Esse acompanhamento promove o bem-estar da saúde mental dos infectados, bem como elucida, aos não-infectados, acerca da doença (MUESSIG, 2014).…”

From macro- to microfactors in health: Social science approaches in research on sexually transmitted infections

“…More social science research on community perspectives, particularly on risk perception and prevention of STIs, is urgently needed, as STI treatment and care needs to be adapted to needs pertaining to rising incidences of resistances both to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and antibiotics. Increasing the role and visibility of in-depth studies would allow analysis of the intricate entanglement of challenges on structural and communicative levels and would help to adjust interventions to individual and community needs [ 10 ].…”