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Project Parivartan: Research on the Implementation and Impact of Structural Interventions for HIV Prevention among Female Sex Workers in Southern India

Harvard Dataverse (Africa Rice Center, Bioversity International, CCAFS, CIAT, IFPRI, IRRI and WorldFish)

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Title Project Parivartan: Research on the Implementation and Impact of Structural Interventions for HIV Prevention among Female Sex Workers in Southern India
 
Identifier https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/26211
 
Creator Kim M. Blankenship
 
Publisher Harvard Dataverse
 
Description Project Parivartan, which means long-term change, as well as metamorphosis, conducts research on the implementation of structural interventions among female sex workers in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of Avahan India AIDS Initiative. The project's overall goal is to contribute in reduction of HIV risk among at-risk Female Sex Workers (FSWs) through the analysis of structural interventions that focus on altering the context within which individuals engage in health behaviors or make health-related decisions. The Parivartan team includes an interdisciplinary team, whose members are comprised of sociologists, anthropologists, and public health experts based in India and the U.S. at several academic institutions. The project is currently based at American University's Center on Health, Risk and Society (CHRS), and is led by Principal Investigator Kim M. Blankenship, Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology, and Director of CHRS. The surveys were conducted in spring of 2006, the spring of 2007, and the winter of 2009-10. The total participants were 812, 673 and 850 respectively in rounds I, II and III of the survey. To be included in the study, participants had to identify as a female sex worker; report being no less than 18 years of age; report exchanging sex for money at least once in the year prior to the interview; submit a study coupon to intervention staff before interview could occur. No STI/HIV-testing or other bio-marker data were collected. Interviews lasted approximately 90 minutes and were conducted in the local language (Telugu) by trained interviewers, following participants providing informed consent. Following each interview, participants were provided with correct information related to HIV/AIDS and STI risks and received appropriate referrals to local services. It is important to note that while the implementing NGOs' emphasis was on developing and implementing interventions as quickly and effectively as possible, Parivartan was a research project with no implementation responsibilities. Parivartan's goals were to systematically document and analyze these initiatives. The research was approved by the Duke University Health Systems Institutional Review Board, the Yale University Human Investigations Committee, the Institutional Review Board at American University, and the VHS-YRG Care Medical Centre Institutional Review Board in Chennai, India.
 
Subject Social Sciences
Community mobilization, Female sex workers (FSWs), HIV, HIV prevention, India, Risk, Structural factors, Structural interventions; INSTITUTION: American University; STRATEGIC AREAS: Behavioral tracking surveys, Community mobilization in-depth research
 
Date 2014-01