Washington Blade - August 23, 2002

SAN FRANCISCO -- A four-person team from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention spent four hours Aug. 12 in meetings with employees of the Stop AIDS Project in the Castro to determine whether its programs comply with government obscenity standards, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The visit, ordered by new CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding, came after conservative members of Congress questioned the propriety and scientific value of some of the group's workshops, which have carried such titles as "Great Sex," "Sex Toys for Leather Boys" and "A Walk on the Wildside." U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic whip who represents San Francisco, came to the group's defense: "Local organizations, such as Stop AIDS Project, which are a part of the community they are trying to reach, are best positioned to combine programmatic expertise with extensive knowledge of the target populations they serve." The CDC investigators described Stop AIDS employees as "very responsive."

Alcohol use, thrill-seeking prove bad mix for HIV-positive men

MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- HIV-positive men who seek new experiences and think alcohol improves sex are more likely to have unprotected sex, according to a new study reported Aug. 16 by the Health Behavior News Service. Most HIV prevention programs target risk takers who are not already infected. Many of the same factors that motivate risky behavior in the uninfected may be present in those who could potentially infect them, said Seth C. Kalichman, who conducted the study while at the Medical College of Wisconsin. The research by Kalichman, now a professor of social psychology at the University of Connecticut, and his colleagues appears in the August issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. In the study, Kalichman and colleagues found that HIV-positive men who were "sensation seekers" were more likely to have unprotected sex, regardless of alcohol use, while alcohol use also predicted unsafe sex, independent of sensation seeking. Study data was collected on 197 HIV-positive men in Atlanta.

Prevention campaigns turn attention to people with HIV

SAN FRANCISCO -- AIDS educators, alarmed at the continuing spread of HIV, have turned to educational campaigns encouraging people with HIV to take responsibility for not transmitting the virus, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention is spending $3.8 million a year for "prevention for positives" programs in California, Maryland and Wisconsin. Other states and cities have started similar programs. One high-profile effort is an advertising and Internet campaign called "HIV Stops With Me," which began in San Francisco two years ago. Billy Curtis, a gay San Francisco youth counselor, said he was horrified when he first saw the "HIV Stops With Me" advertisements because he said they made scapegoats of people with the virus and absolved the uninfected of having to think about protecting themselves. But supporters of the campaign say that a vast majority of prevention efforts still focus on those who are not infected, and that the intent is to offer emotional support to people with HIV.

Reminders serve as effective mammography motivators

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Women who receive personalized messages by telephone and by mail may be more likely to get mammography screening, a new study shows. "Tailored interventions," those developed for one specific recipient based on her particular characteristics, "have shown great promise for increasing mammography," said researcher Victoria L. Champion of the Indiana University School of Nursing. Champion's study found that women who received telephone and mailed messages about the importance of breast cancer screening were more likely to get a mammogram than the women who did not receive such messages. The authors noted in an Aug. 16 report from Health Behavior News Service that limitations to the study include its inclusion of only women who agreed to take part in the study, meaning participants may have been more motivated to comply than women who declined study participation.

Avon splits with Pallotta over breast cancer walks

NEW YORK (AP) -- Three months after announcing it would no longer sponsor popular but controversial three-day breast cancer walks, Avon Products said it will launch a series of shorter walks next year. Avon is among several clients that are cutting ties with Pallotta TeamWorks, the for-profit Los Angeles firm that created and produced three-day cancer walks and a series of AIDS bicycle rides. Pallotta said Aug. 12 it would press ahead with plans for its Breast Cancer 3-Days next year, raising the possibility of a competition for walkers and contributions. Avon spokeswoman Susan Arnot Heaney said the cosmetics company would have more direct control over the new two-day walks. "Our hope is to be more cost-effective," she said. Avon's eight 2003 events are scheduled for Washington, D.C.; Boston; Cincinnati; Chicago; San Francisco; Portland, Ore.; Los Angeles; and New York. Pallotta TeamWorks has faced criticism for organizing and taking production fees from events that spend as much as 88 percent of fund-raising proceeds on overhead costs. Since 1994, the company's AIDS-related events have averaged 60 percent returns to beneficiaries with 40 percent going to overhead.

From staff and wire reports

020823
WB020810

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2002. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2002. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .