Search

Significant health disparities in the rates of HIV infection primarily affect African American women. Although research has demonstrated that for some individuals HIV is connected to preventable high-risk behaviors related to substance use, a further examination of how these risks are perceived by the individuals involved in these activities is warranted. This study prevents the results of 11 focus groups with 89 African American women who use crack cocaine in which respondents shared their perceptions of HIV risk behaviors. The results of this study suggest that women crack cocaine users in Nashville, Tennessee, are not injecting the drug. There appeared to be high levels of perceived sexual risks associated with the use of crack cocaine by some users; however, this was not universal, as many active users have internalized HIV prevention messages. The results of this study are significant in that further understanding of the means by which individuals experience their risk behaviors will enable more effective targeting of potential interventions to reduce the spread of HIV. KEY WORDS: crack cocaine; HIV risk; substance abuse [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African American women involved in high-risk, substance use-related behaviors are affected by extremely high rates of HIV infection. While research has demonstrated that HIV is preventable, in order for prevention efforts to be successful in reducing disparities, perceptions of African American women who use crack cocaine need to be taken into account. This qualitative study presents results of eleven focus groups with eighty-nine African American women respondents presenting their perceptions of service needs and preferences for service delivery. The results indicate two important findings for social service providers: the respondents' lack of a perceived need for HIV prevention services as a spontaneously identified need, and respondents' desires for more basic services such as childcare, safe shelter, basic necessities, and especially substance abuse treatment before they could be approached about HIV prevention services. The findings are relevant for developing gender- and culture-specific prevention strategies to reduce the spread of HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant health disparities in the rates of HJV infection exist that primarily impact African American women. While research has demonstrated that HIV is preventable through changes in high-risk behaviors facilitated by substance abuse treatment, an individual must first be able to access and engage with treatment to derive any benefit from these services. While there is some research that identifies barriers to treatment access and engagement for African American women who use crack cocaine, these barriers require further examination. Current lit erature has focused primarily on internal motivation and treatment readiness without placing these concepts within the unique environmental context of social stressors for crack cocaine-using African American women. This study presents the results of eleven focus groups with eighty-nine African American women in which respondents document the HIV risk behaviors of crack cocaine users, present their experiences [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]