Partnership for Social Science Research on HIV/AIDS in China

描述（由申请人提供）：据估计，中国约有65万人感染艾滋病毒/艾滋病。尽管目前疫情在相对明确的亚人群（注射吸毒者、FSWs、前献血者和血浆者、流动人口）中得到了控制，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的促进因素和障碍，以及对污名化和媒体等因素在助长个人和社区规范方面所起的作用进行结构化的背景分析，以便进一步制定和适当地针对未来的预防、检测和治疗干预措施。我们提出的能力建设项目以中国人民大学社会科学家的相关研究为基础，在中国疾病预防控制中心国家艾滋病预防控制中心和南京国家性病预防控制中心的社会科学家与公共卫生/医学研究人员之间建立了一个综合、高效和可持续的合作模式。具体来说，我们建议：1)制定一个培训项目，提高社会科学家在中国开展艾滋病性传播研究的能力；2)采用发展性奖励机制，资助有指导的合作研究项目，将新技能应用于性行为和艾滋病毒性传播的研究，特别关注难以接触到的性工作者及其客户；3)建立一个中国社会科学和艾滋病预防网络，该网络将扩展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.