@article{7287,
  keywords = {Chronic Disease, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Humans, Prejudice},
  author = {Heijnders M and Van Der Meij S},
  title = {The fight against stigma: an overview of stigma-reduction strategies and interventions.},
  abstract = {<p>In many health conditions, people are severely affected by health-related stigma and discrimination. A literature review was conducted to identify stigma-reduction strategies and interventions in the field of HIV/AIDS, mental illness, leprosy, TB and epilepsy. The review identified several levels at which interventions and strategies are being implemented. These are the intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational/institutional, community and governmental/structural level. Although a lot of work has been carried out on stigma and stigma reduction, far less work has been done on assessing the effectiveness of stigma-reduction strategies. The effective strategies identified mainly concentrated on the individual and the community level. In order to reduce health-related stigma and discrimination significantly, single-level and single-target group approaches are not enough. What is required is a patient-centred approach, which starts with interventions targeting the intrapersonal level, to empower affected persons to assist in the development and implementation of stigma-reduction programmes at other levels.</p>},
  year = {2006},
  journal = {Psychology, health & medicine},
  volume = {11},
  pages = {353-63},
  month = {2006 Aug},
  issn = {1354-8506},
  doi = {10.1080/13548500600595327},
  language = {eng},
}