Contextos de vulnerabilidade ao HIV: estudo qualitativo com jovens cisgenêros e heterossexuais de um bairro popular em Manaus

Abstract

This dissertation aims to analyze the contexts of vulnerability to HIV/AIDS among young people in the Educandos neighborhood, located in the southern area of Manaus, through a socioanthropological approach that explores the intersections between individual, social and programmatic vulnerability. The research uses the concept of vulnerability to examine how social, economic, gender and structural factors influence young people's exposure to HIV infection. Based on interviews and focus groups with adolescents, the main spaces of sociability, such as schools, health clinics and community environments, were investigated, as well as the dynamics of socio-spatial inequality between "Alto" and "Bodozal", two contrasting areas of the neighborhood. The research revealed that schooling plays a central role in the dissemination of information about HIV and STI prevention, being the main source of knowledge about sexual health for young people. However, school dropout and lack of continuity in access to sexual education are critical barriers that increase the individual vulnerability of young people. Another aspect addressed is gender inequality, which particularly affects cisgender young women, exposing them to greater risks of sexual exploitation and violence, which limits their autonomy over safe sexual practices. Gender-based violence, which is often invisible, appears as a determining factor in the difficulty of negotiating condom use and seeking health services. The research also highlights the programmatic vulnerability that young people face when trying to access the Unified Health System (SUS). Barriers such as the lack of adequate support, the difficulty of accessing testing and preventive medications, such as PrEP and PEP, and the social stigma surrounding HIV contribute to the greater vulnerability of this population. The research concludes that vulnerability to HIV among young people in the Educandos neighborhood is the result of a set of structural, social and programmatic factors that go beyond the individual sphere. It is necessary to promote public policies that integrate quality sexual education, combating gender-based violence and improving access to health services to reduce the inequalities that condition exposure to HIV. With this multidimensional approach, it will be possible to significantly reduce the risks of infection and promote the comprehensive health of young people in the region.