Health care seeking for HIV/AIDS among South Asians in the United States

Health-related behavior is a function of the sociocultural and environmental contexts in which it occurs. With South Asian immigrants, a comprehensive approach that focuses on community and individual factors may be more effective than an individualistic one. This article explores the factors that may influence HIV/AIDS-related health care seeking by South Asian immigrants to the United States. It focuses on South Asians from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. The need to involve the community in any intervention process is discussed. An understanding of the determinants of HIV-related health care seeking and behavioral change factors can help social work practitioners develop effective interventions for and with South Asian immigrants.