The ‘Armistead’ project: Assessing a community based health prevention programme for gay men/MWHSWM

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Abstract
Recently emerging evidence indicates that some gay men/men who have sex with men (MWHSWM) are continuing to engage in unsafe sexual practices despite over a decade of health education/promotion. Accordingly, there have been recent attempts to ‘revamp’ health prevention programmes as a means of encouraging participation. One way of doing this has been through the development of innovative community based health prevention programmes. These programmes attempt to regenerate social networks and supportive environments as an alternative to the gay ‘commercial scene’. This paper discusses one such attempt in Liverpool, northwest England. In ‘alliance’ with a government funded local health authority, the Armistead project attempted to provide services for gay men/MWHWSM premised on a ‘holistic’ model of health. This model aimed to provide clients with the information and emotional and social support required to live ‘healthier’ lifestyles. Examining the perceptions of clients and representatives of relevant local agencies, this paper evaluates the potential, and problems, associated with such community programmes.