Unlike many viruses, which pass easily through air, water, food, and casual contact, HIV usually requires risky behaviors such as unprotected sex and drug use for its transmission. People do not perform these risky behaviors in a vacuum. Instead, biological, psychological, demographic, and sociocultural factors affect both the likelihood and the consequences of these behaviors.
"People become infected with HIV through behaviors, not because of membership in any particular 'high risk group.' HIV infection is a possibility for almost everyone, but an inevitability for almost no one" (Smith, 1998).
This chapter discusses these key factors and the specific behaviors that can lead to HIV transmission.
Next >> Biological risk factors for HIV