Surveillance

Behavioral surveillance surveys (BSS) track trends in HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitudes, and risk behavior in selected segments of a country or community's population. Family Health International (FHI) provides its partners with technical and managerial support in designing and administering BSS. When used in conjunction with qualitative research and monitoring of process data, the BSS methodology is a powerful monitoring and evaluation tool for HIV/AIDS prevention programs.

 

BSS enable program managers to plan and implement interventions and evaluate outcomes. In addition, the surveys
• function as an early warning system, alerting policymakers and program managers to emerging risks or changes in risk behavior
• reveal gaps in knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS that interventions can address
• help identify population segments whose behavior makes them particularly vulnerable to HIV infection
• provide data on specific target groups that complement information from general population surveys
• ensure comparability and a degree of standardization often lacking when data are collected by a variety of different agencies

Selected FHI Publications

 

Behavioral Surveillance Surveys (BSS):  Guidelines for Repeated Behavioral Surveys in Populations at Risk for HIV (available in English, French, and Spanish) (2000)

 

First Things First: Guidelines on Management and Coding of Behavioural Surveillance Data (2006)

 

 

 

 

UNAIDS/WHO: Guidelines for Second Generation HIV Surveillance (2000, PDF)

 

UNAIDS/WHO: Guidelines for Effective Use of Data from HIV Surveillance Systems (2004, PDF, 650 KB)