The AIDS epidemic: a model for developing intervention strategies for reducing high-risk behavior in gay men

Abstract

The authors convened a conference at the University of California, San Francisco, to provide a framework for developing health education programs to reduce high-risk sexual activity associated with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Operating on a consensus model, four groups of experts defined the sexual behaviors that place an individual at high risk for AIDS, the principles of health psychology that can be applied to health education programs for reducing high-risk sexual activity among gay men, the health education and media strategies that might be used, and the factors unique to gay men that need to be considered. We hope that these reports will not only provide a foundation for the discussion of health education strategies for reducing the risk of AIDS, but will also prove useful to local, regional, and national organizations in developing such programs.