From community to clients: the professionalisation of HIV prevention among gay men and its implications for intervention selection

Forces at work are described which encourage professionalisation and a reliance on one on one HIV prevention interventions among gay men. Community involvement is intrinsically linked to epidemic phases; when the threat diminishes, so does the community's ability to sustain community level interventions. The area of structural and environmental interventions, which can reinforce safe behaviour when community interest in collective action wanes, provides a potential complementary solution for prevention workers, researchers, and funders alike.