Peer education counseling services for HIV, health promotion and gender equality: Designing a job from strategic information on MSM, TGW, and PWID

• Main Author: Javier, Roberto E., Jr.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2016
• Subjects: HIV infections—Philippines—Prevention; Health Psychology; Public Health Education and Promotion
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/6558
• Institution: De La Salle University

An empirically informed peer education counseling services for HIV/AIDS prevention has to be designed for health promotion among MSM, TGW, and PWID. Strategic information from the studies on the experiences of MSM, TGW, and PWID provided evidence for re-thinking the job design of a PE counselor. Included in the studies that were used for the PE counselor job analysis were the researches of Casey et al., Well et al., Saniel et al. and Gary Reid. Reid and Saniel et al.’s studies are specific to PWIDs, while the latter research included sex workers both presented the peer impact of attending to health needs of individuals who inject drugs. Wells et al.’s survey of the health sector showed how MSM could ease their way to HIV counseling and testing through their peers. Casey et al. appraised the present peer education program (PE) for MSM, TGW, PWID and recommended reformulations on standards for services and reforms in the structures employed in its implementation. Added to the sources of analysis were the studies of Ditangco, Norella et al., Ofreneo et al., and Agbulos. These were presented and discussed in a scientific meeting of the ASP. The Ditangco cohort of MSM study is an ongoing research on the incidence of HIV in this population. The themes in the Norella et al. and Ofreneio et al. studies were on stigma and self-acceptance issues related to sex, gender and HIV. Agbulos’ case study was on MSM’s sex and drug use. The studies indicated the need to strengthen counseling services for HIV prevention, health promotion and gender equality. The IFRCRCS standards for the conduct of HIV-AIDS PE program are also viewed to serve as frame of reference if to reformulate the PE program on HIV counseling services. Added to this, is the WHO Ottawa Charter’s 5 dimensions for health promotion which Hubley and Copeman (2013) organized into a HESIAD framework that sab be used to set up the standards of PE program particularly focused on providing high quality counseling services for MSM and TGW.