Behavioral Data Collection

To respond promptly and effectively to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, complete and reliable information is needed about the attitudes, beliefs and practices of those at risk—particularly their sexual and drug-taking behaviors that can spread HIV.

It is essential to monitor changes over time in these behaviors and attitudes to maintain appropriately designed programs.

Different data collection methods deliver different results with varying degrees of cost and complexity.

To use resources most efficiently, a national program must decide which mix of methods to adopt, with what frequency, and on what scale. These choices will reflect the country's political and social environment, its research capacity, available resources and the stage of its epidemic.

The main objective of the recommended behavioral surveillance systems is to use a consistent sampling strategy in multiple rounds of data collection to track trends in key indicators over time.

Several HIV-related behavioral data collection methods and instruments have been standardized.  All of them collect the information needed to calculate standard indicators listed in the UNAIDS publication National AIDS Programmes: A Guide to Monitoring and Evaluation.