Clarifying Prescriptive Messages about HIV: The Case of Long-Term Mutually Monogamous Relationships

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Abstract
Prescriptive messages about HIV and AIDS should be precise and well-grounded in science. Throughout the epidemic, the language used in AIDS education has been modified or changed as needed to be more effective, avoid confusion and misperception, and dispel fear about the disease. The word “monogamy” has traditionally been used to describe the act of being married to only one person, but has taken on a broader meaning in the age of AIDS and is now used to characterize sexual behavior. This article examines the appropriateness of using the word “monogamy” in this way. The authors identify the basic concepts found in prescriptive messages about HIV, review ways in which “monogamy” is defined, applied, and interpreted in the literature, present a content analysis of top-selling sexuality and AIDS/HIV textbooks, and discuss strategies to more effectively deliver this prescriptive health message.

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