For the first time, the effectiveness of different types of HIV interventions in schools, health services, media, communities, and for young people most at risk of HIV have been reviewed and graded for their usefulness.
The review Steady, Ready, GO!, launched at the XVI International AIDS Conference, identifies what should be done now to reduce HIV infection in young people, and achieve the global targets set by world leaders.
The 2001 UN General Assembly Special Session on AIDS adopted universal access goals for young people: by 2010, 95% of young people to have access to the information, skills and services that they need to decrease their vulnerability to HIV.
However, despite these commitments, young people (15-24 years) remain at the centre of the AIDS pandemic in terms of transmission, vulnerability and impact, with an estimated 4-5,000 people in this age group acquiring HIV every day.
Over 80 studies were reviewed, from different developing countries and settings. The interventions have been classified in a way that makes the evidence easy for policy makers and programme managers to understand and use.
From the mass of evidence available, the effectiveness of different types of interventions have been graded as:
- GO! (stop asking for more evidence and get on and do it!)
- Ready (implement widely but evaluate carefully)
- Steady (not ready yet for implementation because more research and development is required).
The review makes recommendations for policy makers, programme managers and researchers.
"Steady, Ready, GO! provides a clear Agenda for Action for governments around the world if they want to prevent HIV among young people," says Joy Phumaphi, Assistant Director-General, Family and Community Health at WHO. "In light of the available evidence, governments will need to have a very good reason for not acting. We know what works and we should be doing it. We should not confuse lack of implementation with lack of evidence."
This publication will be as important for NGOs as it is for governments. NGOs frequently have very limited resources and are often working in a politically charged environment. Steady, Ready, GO! will help advocates move beyond opinions and moral judgements to scientific fact, and provide much needed information to young people themselves.
“With 40% of all new adult HIV infections occurring among young people aged 15-24, more investment in comprehensive HIV prevention efforts for young people is absolutely critical. We need youth-specific HIV prevention programmes to be based on what has been proven to work and tailored to countries' individual epidemics and realities,” said Purnima Mane, UNAIDS Director of Policy, Evidence and Partnerships.
Among the interventions that should be widely implemented because they have been classified as GO! or Ready are: