Social Conditions and the AIDS Pandemic

This chapter describes the AIDS pandemic as being intimately linked with inequitable social conditions. The case is made that these social inequities must be the primary “target” of HIV prevention efforts. The five pillar model is introduced and used as guide for illustrating the inherent value of structural-level interventions to the goal of ending AIDS. The chapter further makes the case that rectifying social inequities is the basis for going beyond the goal of ending AIDS and moving toward global health for all people. The chapter describes the social drivers of the pandemic, a prevention paradigm, and a proposed framework for structural-level interventions.