Scott S J, Mercer M A
Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Institute for International Programs, Baltimore, MD 21202.
AIDS Educ Prev. 1994 Feb;6(1):81-9.
Global efforts to prevent further spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are faced with tremendous obstacles, and limited understanding of the cultural and social context of HIV and AIDS is an important factor hindering prevention efforts to date. Examples from the authors' experience in providing technical support to 7 nongovernmental projects for HIV/AIDS prevention in Africa illustrate the importance of including qualitative data in initial baseline studies for projects responding to the problem. Qualitative data are needed to provide a deeper understanding of the meanings of behavior and other phenomena that are identified through quantitative methods. Runyoka is discussed as an example of a traditionally-defined illness in Zimbabwe that appears to affect local understanding of HIV/AIDS. The authors suggest approaches that would assist HIV/AIDS projects to better understand and respond to the social and cultural context of AIDS in local settings.
全球为预防人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）进一步传播所做的努力面临巨大障碍，而对HIV和艾滋病的文化及社会背景了解有限是迄今为止阻碍预防工作的一个重要因素。作者在为非洲7个预防HIV/艾滋病的非政府项目提供技术支持方面的经验示例，说明了在应对该问题的项目初始基线研究中纳入定性数据的重要性。需要定性数据来更深入地理解通过定量方法识别出的行为及其他现象的意义。以鲁尼奥卡为例进行了讨论，它是津巴布韦一种传统定义的疾病，似乎影响着当地对HIV/艾滋病的理解。作者提出了一些方法，以帮助HIV/艾滋病项目更好地理解并应对当地环境中艾滋病的社会和文化背景。
