This is an excellent article that details how complex it is to improve health behaviors among women in developing countries. Individual health behaviors cannot be changed much by interventions that target just individual health behaviors. There is a complex web of social, economic, and cultural conditions that give rise to these behaviors. It's this web of conditions that has to be targeted.
One approach is based on diffusion theory where we get the social opinion leaders (like the mothers and possibly the fathers) involved in developing an intervention program. We need to get the community invested in the problem and the solution because it's their problem! The mothers and fathers might want to educate community members about basic facts of HIV and AIDS, and get discussions going about gender norms. Some type of skills training for women might also be useful. Excellent article, good work!
This is an excellent article that details how complex it is to improve health behaviors among women in developing countries. Individual health behaviors cannot be changed much by interventions that target just individual health behaviors. There is a complex web of social, economic, and cultural conditions that give rise to these behaviors. It's this web of conditions that has to be targeted.
One approach is based on diffusion theory where we get the social opinion leaders (like the mothers and possibly the fathers) involved in developing an intervention program. We need to get the community invested in the problem and the solution because it's their problem! The mothers and fathers might want to educate community members about basic facts of HIV and AIDS, and get discussions going about gender norms. Some type of skills training for women might also be useful. Excellent article, good work!
Hal Campbell, EdD, MPH
halobocampbell@gmail.com