title: Situation of linkage between sexual and reproductive health and HIV-related policies in Islamic Republic of Iran - a rapid assessment in 2011-2.
abstract: The number of sexual transmission of HIV is increasing globally. Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) issues and HIV/AIDS related problems are rooted in common grounds such as poverty, gender inequality, and social exclusion. As a result, international health organizations have suggested the integration of SRH services with HIV/AIDS services as a strategy to control HIV and to improve people's access to SRH services. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between reproductive health and HIV/AIDS services at policy-making level in Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). This study was conducted in 2011-2 and was a rapid assessment based on guidelines provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Family Health International Association, and some other international organizations. In this rapid assessment we used different methods such as a review of literature and documents, visiting and interviewing professionals and experts in family health and HIV/AIDS programs, and experts working in some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Overall, based on the results obtained in this study, in most cases there was not much linkage between HIV/AIDS policies and SRH policies in Iran. Since integration of HIV/AIDS services and SRH services is recommended as a model and an appropriate response to HIV epidemics worldwide, likewise to control the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Iran it is required to integrate HIV/AIDS and SRH services at all levels, particularly at the policy-making level.
authors.affiliation: Kurdistan Research Center for Social Determinants of Health (KRCSDH), Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran. ; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran.
authors.forename: Ghobad
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moradi
authors.affiliation: Kurdistan Research Center for Social Determinants of Health (KRCSDH), Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran.
authors.forename: Sahar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khoshravesh
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical Science, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mozhgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hosseiny
keywords: HIV/AIDS; Iran; Rapid Assessment; Reproductive Health