Paper instructions:
HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs
At the 2009 World AIDS Day, Ban Ki-moon, who was the Secretary General of the United Nations, spoke about the next steps to combat AIDS. Ban said (Global Commission, 2011):
I urge all countries to remove punitive laws, policies and practices that hamper the AIDS response…Successful AIDS responses do not punish people; they protect them…We must ensure that AIDS responses are based on evidence, not ideology, and reach those most in need and most affected. (p. 1)
In 2010, The Global Commission on HIV and Law was launched by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) to make recommendations to countries for better HIV response and treatment. This commission was formed to help eradicate HIV/AIDS globally by changing cultural beliefs about the illness through legal changes, health prevention, and education. Consider how culture-specific concepts of HIV/AIDS, among other psychological processes, may impact the likelihood of successful prevention programming.
For this Discussion, review this week’s Learning Resources. Use the American culture and select another culture with different attitudes, beliefs, and practices related to HIV/AIDS.
With these thoughts in mind:
The Assignment: Write a well organized description of the American culture and the other culture you selected. Then describe two cultural attitudes, two cultural beliefs, and two cultural practices regarding HIV/AIDS. Finally, explain two factors that may impede the success of an HIV/AIDS prevention program in the American culture and the other culture you selected and why. Support your responses using the Learning Resources and the current literature.