As the AIDS pandemic continues to evolve, researchers and prevention workers have discovered the increasing need to tailor AIDS research and public health interventions to specific cultural groups in order to maximize the efficacy and effectiveness of their programs. In the U.S., a number of studies have shown that AIDS risk varies considerably on a micro-social level. This presentation reviews the experience of anthropologists and epidemiologists in the northeastern U.S. who are using social mapping methodologies to learn about variation in AIDS risk among injection drug users (IDUs) at the neighborhood level. Neighborhood maps, created by IDUs who live and inject in enclaves of interest, have allowed our multidisciplinary team to learn about the locations and spatial relationships of people, places and structures that influence sterile syringe availability and consequent AIDS and hepatitis risk. Participatory research methodologies, such as social mapping, have evolved considerably and are today utilized by researchers of varied disciplines to research public health and social ills. Social mapping promotes dialogue and participation that encourages consensus building among peers and urges participants to guide research and potential public health interventions. Use of this method in public health research on HIV risk among IDUs: 1) Facilitates the rapid entry into and assessment of neighborhood structures that influence syringe access, use and discard; 2) Helps to establish IDUs as experts thus strengthening researcher-participant relationships; 3) Facilitates further qualitative research after getting to know key participants from the mapping activity and; 4) Provides an emic (insider’s) perspective of target neighborhoods.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participants in this session will be able to: 1)Describe the use of social mapping for study of HIV risk among injection drug users (IDUs) 2) Discuss the advantages of social mapping in HIV prevention research among IDUs 3) Consider the use of social mapping in their own studies to complement other data collection methods
Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Injection Drug Users
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Hispanic Health Council, Yale University: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, UMass School of Public Health
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: employment