title: Are cultural values and beliefs included in U.S. based HIV interventions?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the extent to which current United States based human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) prevention and risk reduction interventions address and include aspects of cultural beliefs in definitions, curricula, measures and related theories that may contradict current safer sex messages.
  
  
  METHODS
  A comprehensive literature review was conducted to determine which published human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) prevention and risk reduction interventions incorporated aspects of cultural beliefs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This review of 166 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention and risk reduction interventions, published between 1988 and 2010, identified 34 interventions that varied in cultural definitions and the integration of cultural concepts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) interventions need to move beyond targeting specific populations based upon race/ethnicity, gender, sexual, drug and/or risk behaviors and incorporate cultural beliefs and experiences pertinent to an individual's risk. Theory based interventions that incorporate cultural beliefs within a contextual framework are needed if prevention and risk reduction messages are to reach targeted at risk populations. Implications for the lack of uniformity of cultural definitions, measures and related theories are discussed and recommendations are made to ensure that cultural beliefs are acknowledged for their potential conflict with safer sex skills and practices.
authors: University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1759, USA. gyatt@mednet.ucla.edu
authors: Gail E
authors: GE
authors: Wyatt
authors: John K
authors: JK
authors: Williams
authors: Arpana
authors: A
authors: Gupta
authors: Dominique
authors: D
authors: Malebranche
mesh_terms: D054521:Cultural Competency; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology*; D012107:Research Design; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D014481:United States