In order to prevent and treat STDs and HIV/AIDS effectively,
communities need to understand the problem as fully as possible.
Plans to reduce STDs and STD-related problems can rarely proceed
without answers to the following:
How are
the infections entering and being transmitted in the community?
Who is affected?
How prevalent is the problem?
What is already known about the problem
through current research?
What sociocultural factors help or
hinder the transmission of STDs?
What kinds of strategies work in
preventing transmission of STDs in this community?
What kinds of strategies work in
treating STDs and STD-related problems in this community?
What resources are available to address
these issues?
What resources are lacking?
Questions such as these (and many others) are ordinarily
addressed by some form of needs assessment in the local area
or evaluation of existing programs. The Delve! curriculum
empowers STD activists and service providers to conduct their
own needs assessment and evaluations. The curriculum teaches
novice researchers to conduct mixed methods ethnography to
assess STDs without the assistance of a professional ethnographer
or any other professional researcher. The curriculum is presented
in nine Sections.
Registered users of the Delve! Curriculum will be able to:
Access our staff for answers to general questions about the curriculum (e.g., Where is the glossary? How can I print this out? Is a full print version available? Tell me a bit about the science staff.)
Request assistance from our science staff on questions related to methodology (including questions that reach beyond the training offered in the curriculum). These services are at an additional charge. Contact us for more information.
Purchase print versions of the curriculum, both in English and in Spanish. Contact us for more information.
