# Project BURMESE: Buddhist Understanding and Reduction of Myanmarese Experiences of HIV Stigma and Exclusion

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2020 · $186,800

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Myanmar is facing a looming HIV crisis and is listed as a “country of concern” by UNAIDS. After the first case
of HIV was diagnosed in Myanmar in 1988, and the HIV epidemic rapidly escalated over the next decade, in
particular among marginalized populations, such as substance users and sex workers. This resulted in
Myanmar having the third largest population of PLWH in Southeast Asia, after only Indonesia and Thailand.
Currently, the mortality rates among PLWH remain high, and are 16 times higher than that of the US and 20%
higher than the international average. An important reason for this high mortality is that treatment coverage is
still low, with only 56% of PLWH currently receiving medications. As a consequence, HIV remains in the top 10
causes of death in Myanmar. Adding to the challenges, major international aid organizations are scheduled to
withdraw from Myanmar by 2020. Hence, there is an urgent need to collect evidence to develop optimal HIV
care in a local healthcare setting and to scale up treatment coverage in response to this pending transition.
Yet, the existing evidence regarding HIV care in Myanmar remains extremely limited, and there are few studies
to assist Myanmar PLWH to manage barriers to care, such as HIV stigma. HIV-related stigma is negatively
impact multiple domains of PLWH's health and lives. For example, HIV stigma may deter PLWH from utilizing
health services necessary for their health and survival. Yet, there is still no published study exploring how
Myanmar PLWH experience and manage HIV stigma beyond the UNAIDS report of social exclusion
experienced by PLWH in Myanmar. In addition, as Myanmar is a typical Buddhist country where more than
85% of the population identify as Buddhists, it is necessary to take into consideration Buddhist understanding
and interpretations of illness and suffering in general, and HIV specifically. Therefore, in this project, we
propose to explore the Buddhist conceptualizations of HIV stigma in Myanmar by interviewing 30 HIV+
individuals and then culturally adapting an evidence-based intervention to reduce HIV stigma among Myanmar
PWLH. These two specific aims are 1. We will conduct in-depth interviews with 30 people with HIV in
Myanmar to explore and identify Buddhist conceptualizations of HIV stigma. 2. Based on the results from Aim
1, we will adapt Bogart and colleagues' stigma-reduction intervention to tailor it to the needs of Myanmar
PLWH, applying a modified ADAPT-ITT approach with six focus groups that involves separate groups for
substance users, sex workers, MSM, transgender individuals, and heterosexual men and women.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9754675
- **Project number:** 1R21TW011277-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Wei-Ti Chen
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $186,800
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-05-04 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9754675

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9754675, Project BURMESE: Buddhist Understanding and Reduction of Myanmarese Experiences of HIV Stigma and Exclusion (1R21TW011277-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9754675. Licensed CC0.

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