In collaboration with the Centre R?gional de M?decine Traditionelle in Bandiagara, Mali, this project investigates how migration for work and other socio-environmental factors affect the occurrence of AIDS and the nature of AIDS related attitudes and behaviors, as well as mental and physical health in the Dogon, Fulani and Bozo ethnic groups. It involves an interview and medical exam (testing for, inter alia, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and cholesterol levels) of a representative sample of 936 rural Malians between 16 and 48 years old. Besides the questions dealing with AIDS, the interview examines the social and environmental conditions of the respondents and their socio-cultural attitudes. It also measures psychological functioning and includes a screen for schizophrenia and depressive illnesses. In FY96 the interview schedule was completed, translated into French and from French into the three local languages. Very extensive pretests were conducted and the interview modified accordingly. We are now back- translating the interviews and making the necessary changes. We also selected our survey sites, using a sampling plan that stratifies them in terms of community size and exposure to Western influence and have laboriously developed the sampling frames necessary for representative sampling.
