Integrating Biobehavioral and Sociocultural Research to Prevent HIV Transmission and Infection (R21)

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Purpose. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) solicits Research Project (R21) grant applications from applicant organizations to develop theoretically grounded approaches to prevention of HIV infection and transmission that incorporate biobehavioral approaches in studies that are culturally appropriate. Biobehavioral approaches may be biomedical, or they may consist of behavioral interventions using biological markers of efficacy. Sociocultural appropriateness involves, at minimum, application of knowledge of the norms, beliefs and values of potential research subjects in varied contexts, and an appreciation of culture as dynamic. It is anticipated that such knowledge will improve both the quality and applicability of research among the diverse populations affected by the pandemic, in the US or abroad. Intervention and pre-intervention studies are welcomed, but descriptive ethnographic and epidemiological research is still needed in some areas. For example, descriptive research may delineate the impact of cultural variables on behaviors that impede or promote biological markers (e.g., seroconversion), lead to a better understanding of ethical concerns in biomedical preventive studies, or may illuminate as yet unrecognized issues concerned with adherence to prevention interventions. Intervention studies should evaluate the efficacy of biomedical interventions, or of behavioral interventions that also use biological variables, in light of the sociocultural context.

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