Braga Edmundo KM, Vasconcelis Limma M, Branco Guimaraes WL, Denildes S, Baptista AP, Becker D; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 2000 Jul 9-14; 13: abstract no. WePeE4953.
K. M. Braga Edmundo, CEDAPS, Travessa do Ouvidor 17 sala 402, Centro, Rio de Janeiro, CEP: 20050 004, Brazil, Tel.: +55 21 852 54 45/852 00 78, Fax: +55 21 852 00 80, E-mail: communicse@ax.apc.org
Problem: In Brazil there is a direct relationship between the rates of infection and the low level of school attendance. 70% of the youth will not complete basic education. Most of them will not have basic skills to acquire scientific information. Young urban poor in Brazil feel they have no or little perspectives for a better life. In a country with one of the worst income distributions in the world, this increases the vulnerability to HIV and other related problems. Innovative, alternative prevention approaches that result in long-term positive impacts in this group becomes then urgent. Intervention: In Brazil various professional training programs for low-income youngsters have been developed in recent years. These young people are in a struggle for a better life, demonstrating high self efficiency, thus more open to health promotion and prevention ideas. In a partnership with those programs, we have implemented educational meetings with the students, based on a participative approach. Gradually, HIV concepts and issues are presented and discussed, in a process of shared construction of knowledge. The students are then involved in a network of community prevention agents each one committing to disseminate the information to a large number of peers. Conclusion: The encounter of scientific knowledge and the cultural universe of the population, especially the youth, is very important in order to develop effective prevention strategies. More than 80 educational workshops are organized yearly, directly benefiting 2800 youngsters attending professional courses, throughout the city. We have learned that the young person can be a very effective prevention agent, if he is involved in the construction of knowledge and communication strategies. Active involvement of the youth allows not only a behavioral modification, but also adhesion to the prevention attitude and a creative against the dissemination of HIV.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Adolescent
- Brazil
- Communication
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Humans
- Infection
- Peer Group
- Population
- Students
- Teaching
- education
- organization & administration
Other ID:
UI: 102241375
From Meeting Abstracts