title: Machismo, public health and sexuality-related stigma in Cartagena.
abstract: This paper reports on an ethnographic study in Cartagena, Colombia. Over a seven-month fieldwork period, 35 men and 35 women between 15 and 60 years of age discussed the social context of HIV/AIDS through in-depth interviews, life histories and drawing. Participants considered the transgression of traditional gender roles as prescribed by machismo a major risk factor for HIV infection. In addition, they integrated public-health concepts of risk groups with these long-standing constructions of gender roles and sexuality-related stigma to create the notion of 'AIDS carriers'. The bricolage between machismo, public health and sexuality-related stigma that participants created and consequent preventive measures (based on an avoidance of sex with people identified as 'AIDS carriers') was a dynamic process in which participants were aware that changes in this particular interpretation of risk were necessary to confront the local epidemic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Ethics and Society & Department of Health Promotion, Maastricht University,Netherlands. m.quevedo@maastrichtuniversity.nl
authors.forename: María Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Quevedo-Gómez
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krumeich
authors.forename: César Ernesto
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Abadía-Barrero
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pastrana-Salcedo
authors.forename: Hubertus
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van den Borne
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003105:Colombia; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011634:Public Health; D012307:Risk Factors; D057545:Social Stigma; D013240:Stereotyping