Research is needed to determine the role of alcohol consumption in the initiation and maintenance of high-risk behaviors. Even if an AIDS vaccine were to be identified in the next few years, prevention efforts would continue to be the primary way to stop the further spread of HIV infection. This PA, Prevention of Relapse to High-Risk Behaviors, is related to the priority areas of mental health and mental disorders and HIV infection. The major objective of research supported under this PA is to identify effective ways to prevent relapse to behaviors that place persons at high risk for infection by the AIDS virus. Current research indicates that the acquisition of knowledge through educational materials is not sufficient to produce sustained behavior change in many individuals who participate in high-risk behaviors.
Relevant research is encouraged to improve knowledge and understanding of relapse behaviors.
These would include predefined groups such as gay and bisexual men, particularly young men, and drug users who inject. The following section suggests areas of research to meet the health promotion and disease prevention objectives outlined above. Researchers responding to this PA, however, need not limit themselves to these topics. It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and their subpopulations must be included in all NIH supported biomedical and behavioral research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and compelling rationale and justification is provided that inclusion is inappropriate with respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of the research. The new policy contains some provisions that are substantially different from the 1990 policies.