The Environmental Contexts of AIDS

AIDS, like Pandora's box, has unleashed and focused issues upon our twentieth century society that have caused apprehension and anticipation. This text presents realistic approaches to the prevention of HIV infection by looking at health and behavior from an environmental perspective. The text demonstrates that health cannot be separated from the total environment if we are to be effective in planning for health and HIV prevention. The view of AIDS as simply a bio-medical problem is challenged, and individual responsibility for health is enlarged. Those making decisions about HIV prevention need to respond to and attempt to understand complex social and cultural issues like sexuality, drug use, and alternative lifestyles to be effective.

The Environmental Contexts of AIDS begins with the history of AIDS, focusing on North America. Behavior change is viewed as essential, so precepts of health promotion and health belief models used to predict motivation and risk behavior are discussed. Particular environments are examined with chapters on the general public, homosexuals/bisexuals, drug users, adolescents/street youths, and women/minorities/special needs groups. Finally, the implications of an environmental perspective are reviewed. This book is essential reading for AIDS researchers, public health administrators and policymakers, health care practitioners, and sociologists.