Misperceived Social Norms as Drivers of HIV Prevention 

Understanding how perceptions about normative health behaviors drive individual health behaviors has been a focus of substance use prevention efforts for more than three decades in the United States. However, social norms about HIV prevention and treatment behaviors are understudied as drivers of health-promoting behavior and prevention intervention uptake. Stronger HIV prevention is needed, particularly in many parts of Southern and Eastern Africa. In this presentation, Dr. Jessica Perkins describes misperceived HIV-related norms and why these misperceptions matter for multiple levels of HIV prevention. She discusses developing interventions to harness perceptions about existing protective norms to enhance the uptake of HIV-related health behavior interventions.