Hostname: page-component-7dd5485656-kp629 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-31T09:31:39.413Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Health Education and the AIDS Epidemic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Leon Eisenberg
Leon Eisenberg*
Affiliation:
Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

What is known about the biology of AIDS is reviewed, and the social factors which influence disease transmission and public attitudes are considered. After an evaluation of the methods available to control the epidemic, the reasons for the limited success of public health measures thus far undertaken are considered. The ethical debate on public health policy is analysed, and the need for a nationwide educational programme on AIDS is emphasised – one which is responsive to the rights and obligations of citizens in a democratic society.

Information

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 154 , Issue 6 , June 1989 , pp. 754 - 767
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1989 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Allen, J. R. & Curran, J. W. (1988) Prevention of AIDS and HIV infection: needs and priorities for epidemiological research. American Journal of Public Health, 78, 381–386.Google Scholar
Associated Press (1988) Required premarital AIDS test dealt 2 setbacks. New York Times; 29 April.Google Scholar
Barre-Sinoussi, F., Chermann, J. C., Rey, F., et al (1983) Isolation of a T-lymphotropic retrovirus from a patient at risk for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Science, 220, 868–871.Google Scholar
Bass, A. (1988) Teenagers seen ignoring AIDS advice. Boston Globe, 14 August, 8.Google Scholar
Becker, M. H. & Joseph, J. G. (1988) AIDS and behavior change to reduce risk: a review. American Journal of Public Health, 78, 394–410.Google Scholar
Best, J. A., Thomson, S. J., Santi, S. M., et al (1988) Preventing cigarette smoking among school children. Annual Review of Public Health, 9, 161–201.Google Scholar
Blattner, W., Gallo, R. C. & Temin, H. M. (1988) HIV causes AIDS. Science, 241, 515–517.Google Scholar
Blendon, R. J. & Donelan, K. (1988) Discrimination against people with AIDS: the public's perspective. New England Journal of Medicine, 319, 1022–1026.Google Scholar
Brandt, A. M. (1988a) AIDS in historical perspective: four lessons from the history of sexually transmitted diseases. American Journal of Public Health, 78, 367–371.Google Scholar
Brandt, A. M. (1988) The syphilis epidemic and its relation to AIDS. Science, 239, 375–380.Google Scholar
Burke, D. S., Brundage, J. F., Redfield, R. R., et al (1988) Measurement of false positive rate in a screening program for HIV infections. New England Journal of Medicine, 319, 961–964.Google Scholar
Byrne, G. (1988) Crossing the border. Science, 242, 869.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (1987) Report of the Meeting on Criteria for HIV Screening Programmes. Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
Centers for Disease Control (1981a) Pneumocystis pneumonia: Los Angeles. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 30, 250–252.Google Scholar
Centers for Disease Control (1981b) Kaposi's sarcoma and pneumonocystis pneumonia among homosexual men: New York City and California. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 30, 305–308.Google Scholar
Centers for Disease Control (1989) United States cases reported to CDC. AIDS Weekly Surveillance Report, 9 January.Google Scholar
Centers for Disease Control (1988a) AIDS and HIV infection among health care workers. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, 37, 229–234.Google Scholar
Centers for Disease Control (1988b) Syphilis and congenital syphilis – United States, 1985–1988. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, 37, 486–489.Google Scholar
Chelimsky, E. (1988) Testimony before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, 8 June 1988. GAO/T-PEMD-88-8. Washington, DC: US General Accounting Office.Google Scholar
Cleary, P. D., Barry, M. J., Mayer, K. H., et al (1987) Compulsory premarital screening for the human immunodeficiency virus: technical and public health considerations. Journal of the American Medical Association, 258, 1757–1762.Google Scholar
Cleary, P. D., Singer, E., Rogers, T. F., et al (1988) Socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics of HIV antibody-positive donors. American Journal of Public Health, 78, 953–957.Google Scholar
Committee on School Health of the American Academy of Pediatrics (1988) Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome education in schools. Pediatrics, 82, 278–280.Google Scholar
Curran, J. W., Jaffe, H. W., Hardy, A. M., et al (1988) Epidemiology of HIV infection and AIDS in the United States. Science, 239, 610–616.Google Scholar
Curran, J. W., Lawrence, D. N., Jaffe, H., et al (1984) AIDS associated with transfusions. New England Journal of Medicine, 310, 69–75.Google Scholar
Dawson, D. A. (1988) AIDS knowledge and attitudes for May and June 1988. NCHS advance data. Vital and Health Statistics of the National Center for Health Statistics, no. 160, 26 September. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
Dawson, D. A., Cynamon, M. & Fitti, J. E. (1988) AIDS knowledge and attitude for September 1987. NCHS advance data. Vital and Health Statistics of the National Center for Health Statistics, no. 148, 18 January.Google Scholar
Dershowitz, A. (1986) Emphasize scientific information. New York Times, 19 March.Google Scholar
DeWit, R., Boucher, C. A. B., Veenhof, K. H. N., et al (1988) Clinical and virological effects of high-dose recombinant interferon-alpha in disseminated AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma. Lancet, ii 1214–1217.Google Scholar
Doege, T. C. (1979) Neurological and neurosurgical conditions associated with aviation safety. Archives of Neurology, 36, 731–810.Google Scholar
Dournon, E., Rozenbaum, W., Michon, C. et al (1988) Effects of zidovudine in 365 consecutive patients with AIDS or AIDS-related complex. Lancet, ii 1297–1302.Google Scholar
Duesberg, P. (1988) HIV is not the cause of AIDS. Science, 241, 514.Google Scholar
Edman, J. C., Kovacs, J. A., Masur, H., et al (1988) Ribosomal RNA sequence shows Pneumocystis carinii to be a member of the Fungi. Nature, 344, 519–522.Google Scholar
Eisenberg, L. (1986) The genesis of fear: AIDS and the public's response to science. Law, Medicine and Health Care, 14, 243–249.Google Scholar
Evatt, B. L., Ramsley, R. B., Lawrence, D. N., et al (1984) AIDS in patients with hemophilia. Annals of Internal Medicine, 100, 499–504.Google Scholar
Fehrs, L. J., Foster, L. R., Fox, V., et al (1988) Trial of anonymous versus confidential human immunodeficiency virus testing. Lancet, ii 379–382.Google Scholar
Feldblum, P. J. & Fortney, J. A. (1988) Condoms, spermicides, and the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus. American Journal of Public Health, 78, 52–54.Google Scholar
Fineberg, H. V. (1988) Education to prevent AIDS: prospects and obstacles. Science, 239, 592–596.Google Scholar
Fink, R. (1987) Changes in public reaction to a new epidemic: the case of AIDS. Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 63, 939–949.Google Scholar
Fischl, M. A., Richman, D. D., Grieco, M. H., et al (1987) The efficacy of azidothymidine (AZT) in the treatment of patients with AIDS and AIDS-related complex: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. New England Journal of Medicine, 317, 185–191.Google Scholar
Fitzgerald, F. (1986a) A reporter at large: The Castro-I. The New Yorker, 21 July, 34–70.Google Scholar
Fitzgerald, F. (1986b) The Castro-II. The New Yorker, 28 July, 44–63.Google Scholar
Friedland, G. H. & Klein, R. S. (1987) Transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus. New England Journal of Medicine, 317, 1125–1135.Google Scholar
Friedman, S. R., Sotheran, J. L., Abdul-Quader, A., et al (1987) The AIDS epidemic among blacks and Hispanics. Milbank Quarterly, 65 (suppl. 2), 455–499.Google Scholar
Foreman, J. (1988) Dominican Republic study. Boston Globe, January.Google Scholar
Gallo, R. C., Sarin, P. S., Gelmann, E. P., et al (1983) Isolation of human T-cell leukemia virus in acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Science, 220, 865–867.Google Scholar
Graeber, R. C. (1986) Crew factors in flight operations: IV: Sleep and wakefulness in international aircrews. NASA Technical Memorandum 88231. Washington, DC: NASA.Google Scholar
Green, R. (1983) Aviation psychology. British Medical Journal, i 1880–1882.Google Scholar
Harris, C. A., Small, C. B., Klein, R. S., et al (1983) Immunodeficiency in female sexual partners of men with AIDS. New England Journal of Medicine, 308, 1181–1184.Google Scholar
Hoff, R., Berardi, V. P., Weiblen, B. J., et al (1988) Seroprevalence of human immunodeficiency virus among childbearing women. New England Journal of Medicine, 318, 525–530.Google Scholar
Institute of Medicine (1988a) Confronting AIDS: Update 1988. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.Google Scholar
Institute of Medicine/National Academy of Sciences (1986) Confronting AIDS: Directions for Public Health. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.Google Scholar
Institute of Medicine (1981) Airline Pilots: Age, Health and Performance. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.Google Scholar
Jones, E. F., Forrest, J. D., Goldman, N., et al. (1985) Teenage pregnancy in developed countries: determinants and policy implications. Family Planning Perspectives, 17, 53–63.Google Scholar
Kessler, R. C., O'Brien, K., Joseph, J. G., et al (1988) Effects of HIV infection, perceived health and clinical status on a cohort at risk for AIDS. Social Science and Medicine, 27, 569–578.Google Scholar
Koff, W. C. & Hoth, D. F. (1988) Development and testing of AIDS vaccines. Science, 241, 426–431.Google Scholar
Landefeld, C. S., Chren, M.-M., Sega, J., et al (1988) Student's sexual behavior, knowledge, and attitudes relating to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 3, 161–165.Google Scholar
Lane, H. C., Feinberg, J., Davey, V., et al (1988) Antiretroviral effects of interferon-alpha in AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma. Lancet, ii 1218–1222.Google Scholar
Landesman, S., Minkoff, H., Holman, S., et al (1987) Serosurvey of human immunodeficiency virus infection in parturients. Journal of the American Medical Association, 258, 2701–2703.Google Scholar
Laure, F., Rouzioux, C., Verber, F., et al (1988) Detection of HIV-I DNA in infants and children by means of the polymerase chain reaction. Lancet, ii 538–541.Google Scholar
Loche, M. & Mach, B. (1988) Identification of HIV-infected seronegative individuals by a direct diagnostic test based on hybridisation to amplified viral DNA. Lancet, ii 418–421.Google Scholar
Mann, J. M., & Chin, J. (1988) AIDS, a global perspective. New England Journal of Medicine, 319, 302–303.Google Scholar
Martin, J. L. (1987) The impact of AIDS on gay male sexual patterns in New York City. American Journal of Public Health, 77, 578–581.Google Scholar
Marx, J. L. (1988) The AIDS virus can take on many guises. Science, 241, 1039–1040.Google Scholar
Moatti, J. P., Manesse, L., LeGales, C., et al (1988) Social perception of AIDS in the general public: a French study. Health Policy, 9, 1–8.Google Scholar
Mulder, C. (1988) Human AIDS virus not from monkeys. Nature, 333, 396.Google Scholar
Mullis, K., Faloona, F., Scharf, S., et al (1986) Specific amplification of DNA in vitro: the polymerase chain reaction. Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology, 51, 263–272.Google Scholar
Navia, B. A., Jordan, B. D. & Price, R. W. (1986) The AIDS dementia complex I. Clinical features. Annals of Neurology, 19, 517–524.Google Scholar
Navia, B. A. & Price, R. W. (1987) The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome dementia complex as the presenting or sole manifestation of HIV infection. Archives of Neurology, 44, 65–69.Google Scholar
Ohi, G., Hasegawa, T., Kai, I., et al (1988) Notification of HIV carriers: possible effect on uptake of AIDS testing. Lancet, ii 947–949.Google Scholar
Osborn, J. E. (1988) The AIDS epidemic: six years. Annual Review of Public Health, 9, 551–583.Google Scholar
Parker, R. (1987) Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in urban Brazil. Medical Anthropology, 1, 155–175.Google Scholar
Piot, P., Plummer, F. A., Mhalu, F. S., et al (1988) AIDS: an international perspective. Science, 239, 573–579.Google Scholar
Presidential Commission on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Epidemic (1988) Report Submitted to the President of the United States. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
Preston, B. D., Poiesz, B. J. & Loeb, L. A. (1988) Fidelity of HIV-I reverse transcriptase. Science, 242, 1168–1171.Google Scholar
Price, R. W., Brew, B., Sidtis, J., et al (1988) The brain in AIDS: central nervous system HIV-1 infection and the AIDS dementia complex. Science, 239, 586–592.Google Scholar
Richwald, G. A., Wamsley, M. A., Coulson, A. H., et al (1988) Are condom instructions readable? Public Health Reports, 103, 355–359.Google Scholar
Roberts, J. D., Bebenek, K. & Kunkel, T. A. (1988) The accuracy of reverse transcriptase from HIV-I. Science, 242, 1171–1173.Google Scholar
Rose, R., Jenkins, C. D. & Hurst, M. W. (1978) Air Traffic Controller Health Change Study. Boston: Federal Aviation Administration (privately published).Google Scholar
Ross, R. K., Casagrande, J. T., Dworsky, R. L., et al (1985) Kaposi's sarcoma in Los Angeles, California. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 75, 1011–1015.Google Scholar
Schinke, S. P., Gilchrist, L. D. & Snow, W. H. (1985) Skills intervention to prevent cigarette smoking among adolescents. American Journal of Public Health, 75, 665–667.Google Scholar
Scott, G. B., Fischl, M. A., Klimas, N., et al (1985) Mothers of infants with AIDS: evidence for both symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers. Journal of the American Medical Association, 253, 363–366.Google Scholar
Simonsen, J. N., Cameron, W., Gakinya, M. N., et al (1988) Human immunodeficiency virus infection among men with sexually transmitted disease. New England Journal of Medicine, 319, 274–278.Google Scholar
Skegg, D. C. G., Richards, S. M. & Doll, R. (1979) Minor tranquillizers and road accidents. British Medical Journal, i 917–919.Google Scholar
Smith, T. F., Srinivasan, A., Schochetman, G., et al (1988) The phylogenetic history of immunodeficiency viruses. Nature, 333, 573–575.Google Scholar
Stenart, G. J., Tyler, J. P. P., Cunningham, A. L., et al (1985) Transmission of HTLV-III by artificial insemination by donor. Lancet, ii 581–584.Google Scholar
Stokes, J. H. (1950) The practitioner and the antibiotic age of venereal disease control. Journal of Venereal Disease Information, 31, 1–113.Google Scholar
Stoneburner, R. L., Des Jarlais, D. C., Benezra, D. et al (1988) A larger spectrum of severe HIV-I-related disease in intravenous drug users in New York City. Science, 242, 916–919.Google Scholar
Temkin, O. (1949) Medicine and the problem of moral responsibility. Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 23, 1–9.Google Scholar
Torsvall, L. & Akerstedt, T. (1987) Sleepiness on the job: continuously measured EEG changes in train drivers. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 66, 502–511.Google Scholar
Tversky, A. & Kahneman, D. (1981) The framing of decisions and the psychology of choice. Science, 211, 453–458.Google Scholar
Walzer, P. D., Perl, D. P., Krogstad, D. J., et al (1974) Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in the United States: epidemiologic diagnostic and clinical features. Annals of Internal Medicine, 80, 83–98.Google Scholar
Ward, J. W., Holmberg, S. D., Allen, J. R., et al (1988) Transmission of HIV by blood transfusions screened as negative for HIV antibody. New England Journal of Medicine, 318, 473–478.Google Scholar
Warwick, I., Aggleton, P. & Homans, H. (1988) Constructing commonsense – young people's beliefs about AIDS. Sociology of Health and Illness, 10, 213–233.Google Scholar
Weiss, R. & Thier, S. (1988) HIV testing is the answer – what's the question? New England Journal of Medicine, 319, 1010–1012.Google Scholar
Wilkerson, I. (1988) Illinoisans fault prenuptual AIDS tests. New York Times, 16 April.Google Scholar
Winkelstein, W., Samuel, M., Padian, N. S., et al (1987) The San Francisco men's health study: III: Reduction in HIV transmission among homosexual/bisexual men, 1982–1986. American Journal of Public Health, 77, 685–689.Google Scholar
Winkelstein, W., Wiley, J. S., Padian, N. S., et al (1988) The San Francisco men's health study: continued decline in HIV seroconversion rates among homosexual/bisexual men. American Journal of Public Health, 78, 1472–1474.Google Scholar
World Health Assembly (1988) Avoidance of discrimination in relation to HIV infected people and people with AIDS. Resolution WHA 41.24, adopted 13 May 1988. Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (1987) Report of the Consultation on International Travel and HIV Infection. Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (1987) Report of the Meeting on Criteria for HIV Screening Programmes. Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (1988) Report of the Consultation on the Neuropsychiatric Aspects of HIV Infection. Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
World Summit of Ministers of Health (1988) London Declaration on AIDS Prevention, 28 January. Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.