Dissertation Research: Socio-Economic Determinants of Risky Behaviors in Uganda

该奖项支持佛罗里达大学一名人类学专业学生的论文研究。该项目旨在研究乌干达青少年危险行为的决定因素，这些行为有助于艾滋病毒的传播。将从三个地区分层抽样260名13-19岁的青少年，并对人口统计和个人行为进行广泛调查。唾液检测将确定样本中艾滋病毒阳性病例的总数，并检验中心研究假设，即学校状况是预防基于风险的疾病的保护因素。从总样本中随机挑选80人进行个别访谈和焦点小组。流行病学数据与对人口和调查数据以及访谈的定性答复相关联，将使我们能够有力地分析社会经济环境对青少年易患危险疾病的实际影响。这项研究很重要，因为全世界很大一部分死亡可以归因于危险行为(例如，吸烟、过量饮食、运动不足、性乱等)。人类福祉的重大进步将取决于行为的改变，而行为改变目前还没有得到很好的理解。这个项目将推进青少年行为研究的知识基础，并使一名学生的最终博士培训成为可能，他将为国家科学研究人员基础和我们关于世界这个重要地区的专业知识储备做出贡献。

This award supports the dissertation research of an anthropology student at the University of Florida. The project is to study the determinants of risky behaviors by adolescents in Uganda which facilitate the spread of HIV. A stratified sample of 260 adolescents aged 13-19 will be drawn from three areas and an extensive survey administered on demographic and personal behavior. A saliva test will determine the total number of positive HIV cases in the sample, and test the central research hypothesis that school status is a protective factor against risk-based diseases. Eighty persons from the total sample will be randomly selected for individual interviews and focus groups. The correlation of epidemiological data with qualitative responses to the demographic and survey data and interviews will allow a powerful analysis of the actual influence of the socio-economic context on adolescent vulnerability to risky diseases. This research is important because a good part of mortality across the world can be attributed to risky behaviors (e.g., smoking, over-eating, under-exercising, sexual promiscuity, etc.). Major advances in human well being will depend on behavior changes which are not well understood at present. This project will advance the base of knowledge of adolescent behavior research, as well as enable the final Ph.D. training of a student who will contribute of the nation's base of scientific investigators and our store of expertise about this important region of the world.