“Disease requires medication, right? And children don’t, they’re for life”

HIV prevention according to low-income youth from five cities in Brazil

Bibliographic Data

ID19474209
AuthorsSandra Monteiro (0000-0003-2009-1790, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz), Isabelle Brambilla Honorato (0000-0001-9556-4615, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas), Andréa Fachel-Leal (0000-0003-1947-9579, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), Regina Maria Barbosa (0000-0002-3390-2137, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)), André Luiz Machado Das Neves (0000-0001-7400-7596, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas), Laio Magno (0000-0003-3752-0782, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz), Daniela Riva Knauth (0000-0002-8641-0240, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul)
Year2025
Volume30
Issue11
Publication date2025-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCiência & Saúde Coletiva (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1413-8123 • E-ISSN: 1678-4561
PublisherFapUNIFESP (SciELO) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1590/1413-812320253011.11452025en
OpenAlexW4416793734
SciELOS1413-81232025001100313
LanguageEN
References cited13

The increase in HIV incidence rates among young people contrasts with the discontinuity of educational actions and the invisibility of AIDS in public spaces. Based on socio-anthropological research, this article analyzes conceptions and practices regarding HIV prevention of 139 men and women, aged 15 to 24 years, mostly heterosexual and cisgender, from low-income Brazilian communities in Porto Alegre, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Manaus, and Salvador. The study involved ethnographic observation, interviews, and focus groups. According to the findings, the knowledge about diagnosis and new technologies for prevention and treatment of HIV is limited. HIV transmission is still associated with gays, trans people, and individuals with many partners; the fear of the stigma of AIDS still persists; and there is rare contact with people with HIV. There is a prevailing self-perception that HIV infection is a very distant possibility, especially if condoms are used with strangers; the concern regarding an unintended pregnancy is far greater. The results point to the need for policies that address AIDS stigma and social, racial, and gender inequalities, as well as the need to create spaces for learning and dialogue in schools, health services, and social movements, updating successful experiences and exploring the potential of social networks

Ethnography · Focus group · Invisibility · Public health · Social issues · Social stigma · Unintended pregnancy · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · Gender, Sexuality, and Education · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions

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