The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #62553

Sochenda Mam, Mr, Reproductive and Child Health Alliance (Racha), PO Box 2471, # 160 Street 71, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, +855-23 213724, msochenda@racha.org.kh

Cambodia's HIV prevalence rate of 2.8 is the highest in Southeast Asia. Of serious concern is the increasing rate of new infections among women of childbearing age, of which 85 percent live in rural areas, along with a growing number of HIV-positive babies. The challenge remains how to stem the increase of HIV in such resource-poor settings, where the health system is incapable of adequately responding to virtually all aspects of the pandemic.

Racha, in partnership with the MoH has successfully developed a Whole Health approach that utilises and maximises existing resources to link health centres to their communities. This approach is now being used to integrate HIV/AIDS prevention into an existing MCH programme that has effectively linked formal reproductive health care providers with community resources, e.g. religious leaders, TBAs, village shopkeepers, health volunteers and even local comedians, to reach women and their partners.

Driven by a strategic communications approach, the comprehensive HIV/AIDS integration project combines community education and counselling to motivate communities to understand and act on information in ways that reduce vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. To initiate the behaviour change process, emphasis has been placed on developing innovative materials and media, (including comedy) that encourage open dialogue and desensitise condom use for "dual protection" against HIV and pregnancy. At the same time, to enable target populations to practise healthy behaviours and reduce their risk of exposure to HIV, Racha and the MoH support local shops and health volunteers to make condoms accessible at low cost in rural villages.

Learning Objectives:

• To demonstrate how HIV/AIDS risk-reduction can be integrated into an existing Maternal and Child Health programme that links health centres with their communities, in Cambodia.

Keywords: Community-Based Health Promotion, HIV/AIDS

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.