In Depth:  Dr Gunnar Holmgren

Concluding his article from last month, Dr. Holmgren details parallels of behaviour change in other social areas.

The best examples of sustainable changes of large population groups come from grass-roots movements. These have often used all available channels, such as the power of small groups and peer pressure to convince people about the value of behaviour change.

AIDS intervention programmes have often been characterised by an obsession with the theory, rather than the practical outworking of that theory.

Thus the two extremes in approach of activists wanting to change sexual behaviour are described as the 'moralisers' and the 'public health fundamentalists'. These are said to be mutually incompatible with a strong polarisation of their approaches and their messages.