AIDS PREVENTION: Contra Costa Searches For Ways To Reach Latinos
Contra Costa County health officials have opened their "ears and minds" to devise an effective Spanish-language AIDS education campaign to reach the Latino community, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "Despite an intensive education campaign in English, the rate of HIV infection is rising among minorities" in the county, including Latinos. Nancy Puttkammer of the county's AIDS project said, "Part of it is language issues, part of it is cultural issues in terms of what is taboo to talk about. And part of it is economic issues." In one high school class, most of the 16 students present did not know where to obtain information about AIDS or where to be tested for HIV. "Only four of the students said their parents had talked with them about the disease," the Chronicle reports. One student said "parents who 'live in another time'" do not discuss issues such as sex and AIDS. To reverse the trend, health officials are "tapping" ideas from local Latinos in a month of meetings at various locations within the community. The information will then be brought "to a Latino focus group, which will choose a motto and logo for the" campaign (Schevitz, 7/30).
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