High-Risk Establishments and Women’s HIV Prevention in Southern China
Research Method: Intervention Research
Principal Investigators: Margaret R. Weeks, Ph.D., PI (ICR), Susu Liao, Ph.D., Co-PI (Peking Union Medical College)
Grant: National Institute on Mental Health
Partners: Department of Epidemiology, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS), Hainan Province Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Guangxi Province CDC
Dates of Study: 2007-2012

Project Summary
This 5-year study is a Phase I/Phase II study of HIV risk and social dynamics in sex-work establishments, and the development and evaluation of a multi-level, site-based intervention conducted within those establishments to promote use of the female condom (FC) for HIV/STD prevention among women who work there. Based on a collaboration developed through an AIDS-FIRCA study, U.S. and Chinese investigators will work with Hainan and Guanxi provincial CDCs and local communities to conduct the study in two rural and two mid-sized urban towns in these provinces.

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High Risk Crack Use Settings and HIV in El Salvador

Research Method: Basic Research

Principal Investigator: Julia Dickson-Gomez, Ph.D., Principal Investigator;

Margaret Weeks, Ph.D., Co-Principal Investigator; Mauricio Gaborit, Ph.D., Co-Principal Investigator; Ernesto Alfonso Selva-Sutter, Ph.D., Co-Investigator

Grant: National Institute on Drug Abuse R01 DA 020350

Partners: Fundación Antidrogas de El Salvador (FUNDASALVA); Universidad Centroamericana José Simeon Cañas

In collaboration with local partners and communities, this four-year study will combine qualitative and quantitative research methods to examine the intersection of community structural factors, the micro-social context of crack use and sales, and HIV risk among crack users in metropolitan San Salvador. In the project’s first phase, staff will conduct community observations, focus groups and in-depth interviews in nine communities. The ethnographic findings will be presented to residents and advisory/working groups formed in each of the nine communities. The formative  research will inform the development of a quantitative survey during the second phase that will be administered to 540 crack smokers including a follow-up interview after 6 months. In the final phase of the project, staff will collaborate with the community advisory/working groups to develop a multi-level intervention that will be tested for acceptability and feasibility through focus groups with community leaders and crack users. 

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Alcohol, Sexual Risk and HIV Prevention in Mumbai, India
Research Method: Basic Research
Principal Investigators: Jean Schensul, Ph.D., ICR (PI); Co-Principal Investigators Kamla Gupta, Ph.D., International Institute for Population Studies; S.K. Singh, Ph.D., International Institute for Population Studies; Subrata Lahiri, Ph.D., International Institute for Population Studies; Stephen Schensul, Ph.D., University of Connecticut Health Center (Co-PI)

Grant: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Partners: International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), University of Connecticut Health Center (UCHC)

Dates of Study: 2005-2008

This three-year study will investigate how alcohol may contribute to  risky sexual activities that lead to HIV transmission among married and unmarried men and their sexual partners in three low income slums in the Mumbai metropolitan area. As data are collected, stakeholders from these communities are partnering with researchers to develop culturally specific interventions that simultaneously address HIV transmission rates on the individual, family and community levels. In particular, researchers will explore the role that migration (from rural areas to Mumbai) plays in exposing networks of men to alcohol, drugs and unprotected sex and the role of long term residence in Mumbai as a risk factor. Unique features of the study are its attention to social scripting of drinking and sex and the role of social geography in contributing to drinking and associated sexual behaviors and social risk. The study will also strengthen the capacity of Mumbai’s International Institute for Population Sciences to integrate qualitative and quantitative research. 

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Microbicide and Female Condom Acceptability for HIV/STD Prevention Among Female Sex Workers in Southern China
Research Method: Basic Research
Principal Investigators: Margaret R. Weeks, Ph.D., PI (ICR), Susu Liao, Ph.D., Co-PI (Peking Union Medical College)
Grant: Fogarty International Research Collaboration Award for HIV-AIDS
Partners: Department of Epidemiology, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS)
Dates of Study: 2003-2006
This three-year study is a supplement to ICR's "Microbicide Acceptability to Prevent HIV in High-Risk Women". The focus of the study is to replicate some aspects of the Microbicide Acceptability project in three rural and semi-urban towns in Hainan and Guangxi Provinces in China. The study will work with local health care providers or other trusted community workers to examine the level of preparedness among female sex workers for using microbicide products and the female condom for HIV/STD prevention. The study will use both qualitative and quantitative methods to examine factors that affect their willingness to try or adopt such methods, and their reasons for choosing among alternative approaches to reducing HIV/STDs.
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RISHTA: Male Sexual Concerns and Prevention of HIV/STDs in India

Research Method: Basic Research, Intervention Research

Principal Investigators: Stephen L. Schensul, Ph.D., University of Connecticut School of Medicine, (PI); Bonnie K. Nastasi, Ph.D., ICR (Co-PI), Dr. Ravi Verma, Population Council, New Delhi, India (Co-PI); Drs. T. K. Roy, G. Rama Rao, & N. Saggurti, International Institute for Population Studies, Mumbai, India (Co-PIs).
Grant: National Institute of Mental Health

Partners: University of Connecticut School of Medicine, International Institute for Population Studies (Mumbai, India)

Dates of Study: 2002-2007

HIV/STD rates in India are increasing at a dramatic rate, causing health officials and national policy makers to seek new approaches to prevention and treatment. This study addresses the difficulty encountered in trying to engage males in reproductive health education, sexual risk and early HIV/STD treatment in three urban communities in Mumbai, India. The project is testing an intervention approach that addresses culturally- based perceptions of masculinity, vitality, sexual performance and fertility as HIV/STD risk indicators.

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Crack Use and Related Sexual Risk in El Salvador
Research Method: Basic Research
Principal Investigator: Julia Dickson-Gomez, Ph.D.
Grant: Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale University, through the National Institutes of Mental Health (P30 MH 62294)
Partners: Fundación Antidrogas de El Salvador (FUNDASALVA); Universidad Centroamericana José Simeon Cañas

Dates of Study: 2002-2005

Project Summary

This pilot study used qualitative in-depth interviews with 23 crack smoking women and 15 crack smoking men in the greater metropolitan area of San Salvador, El Salvador to investigate the relationship between crack use and high-risk sexual behaviors. A smaller sample of 20 female sex workers was also interviewed to determine different pathways into drug use and in HIV risk behaviors. Findings will be used to identify components of an HIV risk reduction intervention for these populations, which are particularly vulnerable to contracting HIV.

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