Cultural Dynamics in HIV/AIDS Prevention Research Among Young People

In September 2005, the National Institute of Nursing Research with the support of several other components of the National Institutes of Health held a workshop, “Cultural Dynamics in HIV Biobehavioral Research.” This special issue of the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care contains a series of articles developed from that workshop. The articles are derived from those presentations that focused on prevention of infection. They do not contain an agenda or recommendations from the National Institute of Nursing Research or any other component of the National Institutes of Health. Rather, the purpose of this special issue is to share with a broad audience the exciting dialogue that began at the workshop and which the authors hope will continue for some time in the future. The articles represent an interdisciplinary and global perspective. Issues discussed include behavioral theory, intergenerational communication, historical trauma, modernization, research methodology, and the ethics of community clinic trials.

Key words: HIV prevention research, cultural dynamics, behavioral theory