The ABCs and beyond: developing an operations research agenda on comprehensive behavior change approaches for HIV prevention. Report from a technical meeting.

On April 29 2003 the Horizons Program hosted a technical meeting in Washington entitled “Comprehensive Behavior Change Approaches for HIV/AIDS Prevention: Developing an Operations Research Agenda.” The main objective of the meeting was to develop and set priorities for an operations research agenda on outstanding questions about effective behavior change strategies for HIV risk reduction particularly those that focus on what have been called the “ABC” behaviors: Abstinence or delaying sex Being faithful or partner reduction and Condom use. The meeting was designed to help guide the Horizons Program and their partners as they develop new studies as well as inform other organizations and researchers. The agenda followed up certain key issues and questions that emerged from a meeting in September 2002 sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development “Technical Meeting on Behavior Change Approaches to Primary Prevention of HIV/AIDS: The ‘ABCs’ of HIV Prevention.” This earlier meeting concluded that while much is currently known about how best to promote ABC behaviors many questions remain. Representatives from more than 20 institutions and programs actively engaged in international HIV prevention activities were brought together to participate in the discussions. Both researchers and those who implement programs were included. The institutions represented included USAID such international organizations as Family Health International Population Services International and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance such universities as Johns Hopkins and Harvard and such faith-based organizations as Lutheran World Services and World Vision. (excerpt)