Funded Programs

Developing Evidence-based Secondary Prevention for HIV-positive Heterosexual Men in Soweto, South Africa

Emory's Rollins School of Public Health is partnering with the Perinatal HIV Research Unit of the University of Witwatersrand and the non-governmental organization HIV South Africa (HIVSA) to conduct a pilot study that will help inform the development of a secondary-prevention intervention for HIV-positive heterosexual men in Soweto, South Africa. HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa remains one of the most serious public health challenges the world has ever faced. Studies estimate that 18.8% of the entire population aged 15-49 is HIV-positive, with the vast majority of the cases resulting from heterosexual transmission. The objectives of this pilot project are to: 1) describe secondary prevention needs among HIV-positive heterosexual men in Soweto; 2) explore HIV transmission risk and protective behaviors among HIV-positive men in Soweto and their relationship to social norms surrounding gender and masculinity; 3) develop and pre-test an intervention for HIV-positive men focused on reducing HIV transmission risk behavior through transformation of appropriate mediators identified through formative research and informed by social cognitive theory and the theory of gender and power; and 4) secure funding to finalize the intervention content and test the efficacy in reducing HIV transmission risk behavior among the target population. The ultimate goal of the project will be to lay the groundwork for a sustainable program of collaborative research and dissemination of effective HIV behavioral prevention interventions in South Africa.

For more information, contact:
Kristin L. Dunkle, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Rollins School of Public Health
kdunkle@sph.emory.edu