Partnership for Social Science Research on HIV/AIDS in China

描述(申请人提供)：据估计，中国约有65万名艾滋病毒/艾滋病患者。虽然疫情目前仅限于定义相对明确的亚人群(注射吸毒者、暗娼、前献血者和血浆献血者、流动人口)，但人们普遍认为，中国必须采取协调一致的行动，以避免大范围流行。考虑到性传播的核心作用，有必要更全面地了解保护性行为和VCT的促进者和障碍，以及对耻辱和媒体等因素在促进个人和社区规范方面所起的作用进行有系统的背景分析，以便进一步制定和适当针对未来的预防、检测和治疗干预措施。我们提出的能力建设项目建立在人民大学社会科学家的相关研究基础上，并创建了社会科学家与中国国家艾滋病预防控制中心和南京市国家性病预防控制中心公共卫生/医学研究人员之间综合、高效和可持续的合作模式。具体地说，我们建议1)开发一个培训计划，以提高社会科学家在中国开展艾滋病毒性传播研究的能力；2)采用发展奖励机制，资助有指导的协作研究项目，使新技术能够应用于性行为和性传播艾滋病毒的研究，特别是关注难以接触到的性工作者及其客户；以及3)发展中国社会科学和艾滋病毒预防网络，将延伸到最初提议的合作伙伴之外。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): It is estimated that there are approximately 650,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in China. Although the epidemic is currently contained among relatively well defined sub-populations (IDUs, FSWs, former blood and plasma donors, migrant populations), it is widely agreed that China must take concerted action to avoid a generalized epidemic. Considering the central role of sexual transmission, a more comprehensive understanding of the facilitators and barriers to protective behaviors and VCT, as well as a structured, contextual analysis of the role that stigma and media, among other factors, play in fueling individual and community norms is necessary in order to further develop and appropriately target future prevention, testing, and treatment interventions. The capacity building program we propose builds upon relevant research by social scientists at Renmin (Peoples) University, and creates an integrated, efficient and sustainable model of collaboration between social scientists and public health/medical researchers at the China CDC National Center for AIDS Prevention and Control, and the Nanjing National Center for STD Prevention and control. Specifically, we propose to 1) develop a training program that will improve social scientists' capacity to conduct research on sexual transmission of HIV in China; 2) employ a developmental award mechanism to fund mentored, collaborative research projects that will enable application of new skills to research on sexuality and sexual transmission of HIV, with particular focus on hard-to-reach sex workers and their clients; and 3) develop a China Social Science and HIV Prevention Network that will extend beyond the initial proposed partners.