Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention Operational Research
GNP+’s HIV prevention research programme is measuring the experiences, needs and barriers of people with HIV in relation to the components of Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention. The research is carried out in partnership with networks of people living with HIV in Bolivia (Redbol+), Tanzania (NACOPHA) and Vietnam (VNP+), the Population Council and UNAIDS.
GNP+ is promoting further understanding of Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention by undertaking diagnostic studies focused on the perspectives and experiences of people living with HIV. This is an opportunity for the networks of people living with HIV to explore the implications of the concept within their settings and to promote a shift in thinking on HIV prevention as it relates to people living with HIV.
Using personal digital assistants (PDAs), people living with HIV are research coordinators, supervisors, data collectors and interviewees, leading the process from the development of a context-specific questionnaire, through to data collection, analysis of findings, report-writing and advocacy.
The studies on Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention will provide networks of people living with HIV with information to evaluate countries’ progress in providing a supportive and enabling environment for people living with HIV to take care of themselves, their partners and their communities. The information gathered by people living with HIV will inform the development and implementation of national policies and programmes on HIV prevention as it relates to people living with HIV.
The network of people living with HIV in Viet Nam (VNP+) held a two-day training on data collection (24-25 June 2010) to enable VNP+ data collectors to gather the experiences and perspectives of people living with HIV for a study on Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention.
In a four-day consultation and workshop co-organised by Redbol+, GNP+, the Population Council and UNAIDS, members of the Redbol+ steering committee explored the new concept of Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention and its implications for advocacy in Bolivia.
Eight networks of people living with HIV in Tanzania, which make up the National Council for People Living with HIV and AIDS (NACOPHA), supported a study on Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention to inform the development of policies and programmes on HIV prevention with people living with HIV in Tanzania.
During a meeting from 9 to 12 March, networks highlighted the importance of educating healthcare professionals and parliamentarians on the social aspects of HIV. They welcomed the shift in thinking from focusing on transmission to addressing the comprehensive needs of people living with HIV and saw the study as an opportunity to do some evidence-informed advocacy.
During the four-day consultation and workshop, networks brainstormed research questions for the study and developed a methodology, based on their experience of undertaking the Stigma Index in Dar es Salaam.