Delaying Underage Drinking and HIV Risks

描述（由申请人提供）：在撒哈拉以南非洲，特别是在乌干达，酒精营销和青年早期饮酒在他们感染艾滋病毒的过程中所起的作用是一个重要的、以前基本上没有解决的问题。乌干达的酒精使用情况特别令人关切，因为该国是世界上人均消费量最高的国家之一。虽然非洲对酒精的研究很少，但人们发现，主要在撒哈拉以南非洲，酒精的使用与无保护的性行为和其他健康问题有关。研究还表明，酒精营销，特别是通过向青少年（13-15岁）提供免费酒精，在赞比亚相对普遍（30%），而这种形式的营销又与饮酒问题和醉酒有关。然而，缺乏关于酒类营销做法及其对乌干达青年的具体影响的信息。先前的研究表明，接触到酒类营销的年轻人也更有可能早期开始饮酒，反过来，这种开始会导致更多的饮酒和醉酒问题。然而，这些发现主要基于赞比亚现有的数据，尚未在乌干达进行实证检验。目前的混合方法项目将制定一项结构性干预措施，旨在减少早期饮酒加剧12-18岁青年中艾滋病毒传播风险的程度。该项目将包括对酒精进行环境扫描，对青年和社区组织领导人进行形成性研究（调查和焦点小组），以及编写宣传信息和材料，以设计反营销运动。该项目将由一个跨学科的国际项目咨询委员会指导，该委员会由杰出的酒精研究人员组成，为乌干达坎帕拉的弱势青年和城市青年提供服务。该项目的目标是使酒类营销领域的先驱者和社区组织的重要领导人更好地了解青年接触到的酒类营销的流行程度和类型，并制定反营销信息，寻求延迟和减少早期饮酒和与酒精有关的危险性行为，这些行为会增加艾滋病毒传播的风险。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): An important and previously largely unaddressed issue in Sub-Saharan Africa, and in Uganda specifically, is the role of alcohol marketing and early alcohol use among youth in their path towards HIV acquisition. Alcohol use in Uganda is of particular concern since the country has one of the highest per capita consumption levels world-wide. While alcohol research in Africa has been scarce, alcohol use in primarily Sub-Saharan Africa has been found to be associated with unprotected sex and other health concerns. Research also shows that alcohol marketing, specifically through the provision of free alcohol to youth (ages 13-15), is relatively common in Zambia (30%) and that this form of marketing in turn is associated with problem drinking and drunkenness. However, there is a dearth of information about alcohol marketing practices and their influence specifically on youth in Uganda. Previous research shows that youth who are exposed to alcohol marketing are also more likely to initiate alcohol use early, and in turn, that initiation leads to more problem drinking and drunkenness. However, these findings based on data available primarily in Zambia, have not yet been empirically examined in Uganda. The current mixed-methods project will develop a structural intervention designed to reduce the extent to which early alcohol use exacerbates risk for HIV transmission among youth ages 12-18 years of age. The project will include conducting an environmental scan of alcohol, conducting formative research (surveys and focus groups) with youth and leaders of community based organizations and the development of communication messages and materials to devise a counter marketing campaign. The project will be guided by an interdisciplinary and international Project Advisory Board comprised of distinguished alcohol researchers, that serve vulnerable and urban youth in Kampala, Uganda. The goals of the project is to better pioneers in the field of alcohol marketing, and valued leaders of community based organizations understand the prevalence and types of alcohol marketing that youth are exposed to and to develop counter marketing messages that will seek to delay and reduce early alcohol use and alcohol-related risky sexual behaviors that increase risk for HIV transmission.