8 - Culturally Tailoring HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs: Why, When, and How

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the tailoring of HIV prevention programs, which suits the culture needs of population. Both HIV researchers and practitioners support the need for more culturally tailored HIV-prevention research and programs. The published literature suggests that there has been a paucity of such programs implemented and evaluated because of a historic ignoring of the needs of marginalized groups, the fluidity of culture, and the difficulties of culturally tailoring programs to a multicultural society. According to various researches, HIV prevention as a field must be more active in addressing the needs of multicultural populations (i.e., populations diverse in race/ethnicity, class, gender, and risk), especially those of marginalized groups. With regard to program development and implementation, this means responding to the needs of the population served by including members of the target population and by considering cultural issues of the population throughout the program development and implementation processes. With regard to program evaluation, this will involve use of standard components in terms of content and strategies but simultaneously program flexibility, so that participants can further tailor the programs to suit their needs.