ABCs

Thanks to Karen Hardee of Population Action International (PAI), who presented today on the "Getting Our Voices Heard: Shaping Public Policy" panel, I now know that the ABCs (Abstinence, Be Faithful, use Condoms) of HIV prevention were not originally a half-brained concoction of the Bush administration. However, her presentation also prompted thoughts about the limitations of public health approaches.

As it turns out, the ABCs can be traced to a few different sources, including a mid-80s STD prevention program from Ohio, a Tanzanian HIV-prevention campaign from the early 90s, and basic public health and epidemiologic building blocks. At the root of the ABCs are three simple ideas:
- Avoid exposure
- Reduce exposure
- Block exposure

And the Tanzanian campaign, run by a Catholic priest, interpreted these messages into the "AIDS is a flood" campaign. Each HIV-prevention method was represented by a lifeboat with one boat for abstinence, one boat for monogamy with an uninfected partner, and one boat for consistent condom use. The campaign was also clear that each individual was free to choose what lifeboat was right for them and could switch boats at any point as their life circumstances changed.
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