Study of Young Men’s Sexual Behaviour Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (August-November 2004)

Given that the spread of HIV throughout a community or a country is entirely contingent on human behaviour, we must acknowledge that public health interventions designed to prevent HIV transmission need to take account of the sexual practices of the relevant population. A more comprehensive approach would also consider other behaviours related to the spread of HIV - for example, behaviours around intravenous drug use and blood transfusions. The patterns of human sexuality within a population are generally considered to be culturally specific; as such, we need to evaluate societies individually if we wish to introduce public health measures for sexually transmitted infections (STI) that have both local relevance and local acceptance.

The Burnet Institute undertook a study of the sexual behaviour of young men in Vientiane from August to November in 2004. The study was funded by the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Bangkok.