An Intervention Study On Community-based HIV/AIDS Preventative Education For Low Income Female Floating Population In Kunming City

Floating population in China is a group that emerged after the rural economic reform, and its number has constantly increased since then. By 2003,the number of floating population reached 12000 millions. A number of studies reveal that floating population has been becoming a vulnerable and high-risk group for HIV/AIDS infection given their low awareness on HIV/AIDS, and lacking of preventive knowledge as well as having little access to urban health care system. It is difficult to reach this group and to conduct preventive activity among them due to their unstable and margined position in urban cities. Among floating populations the low-income female populations are more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS infection due to poverty and gender inequity. Based on the DFID sponsored project "STI/HIV Prevention Education and Service among low income female floating population in KunMing city," this thesis conducted a intervention study to explore community-based HIV/AIDS preventive approaches for low income female population. A baseline survey that using both quantitative and qualitative method had been undertaken before interventions were taken place to understand the needs of target population. Training workshop, telephone hotline, counseling etc have been conducted to raise the awareness and knowledge of HIV/AIDS prevention of the target group. Questionnaire survey and Focus Group Discussions have been conducted to evaluate the effects of these interventions. The result shows that the knowledge and awareness of target group on HIV/AIDS prevention has been largely improved, but the behavior change is hard to measure. The thesis also put forward a number of recommendations and suggestions that are useful for future research and projects.