Barriers and motivators for low-income Brazilian women in metropolitan Belo Horizonte: insights for AIDS prevention

Abstract

Effective health campaigns are essential for combating the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, prevention campaigns aimed at certain groups often are not successful. One of the primary reasons for these failures is that the socioeconomic and cultural context of the target audiences has been neglected by the campaigners. My purpose in this study was to identify both the barriers against and the motivators in favor of behavioral changes in AIDS prevention among low-income urban women. The theoretical foundation for this study is provided by gender schema and self-efficacy theories. From my results I offer specific insights concerning how further and better communication regarding AIDS prevention might be achieved in urban Brazilian communities.