A Model for HIV Risk Reduction and Prevention among African American College Students

HIV/AIDS has a devastating impact on African Americans, particularly women and young adults. We sought to characterize risks, barriers, and content and delivery needs for a faith-based intervention to reduce HIV risk among African American women ages 18 to 25. In a convergent parallel mixed methods study, we conducted four focus groups ( n = 38) and surveyed 71 young adult women. Data were collected across four African American churches for a total of 109 participants. We found the majority of women in this sample were engaged in behaviors that put them at risk for contracting HIV, struggled with religiously based barriers and matters of sexuality, and had a desire to incorporate their intimate relationships, parenting, and financial burdens into faith-based HIV risk-reduction interventions. Incorporating additional social context–related factors into HIV risk-reduction interventions for young African American women is critical to adapting and developing HIV interventions to reduce risk among young adult women in faith settings.

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Correlates of HIV Risk-taking Behaviors among African-American College Students: HIV Knowledge and Ethnic Identity

Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved ◽

10.1353/hpu.2017.0058 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 28 (2S) ◽

pp. 155-170 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Angela M. Heads ◽

Joseph W. Dickson ◽

Aisha T. Asby

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

African American ◽

Ethnic Identity ◽

Hiv Risk ◽

Risk Taking ◽

African American College Students ◽

Hiv Knowledge ◽

Risk Taking Behaviors

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Religiosity and HIV Risk Behaviors in African-American Students

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/13.20.21.pr0.108.2.528-536 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 108 (2) ◽

pp. 528-536 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Kimberly Boyd-Starke ◽

Oliver W. Hill ◽

John Fife ◽

Marcina Whittington

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

African American ◽

Risk Behaviors ◽

Hiv Risk ◽

Sexual Behaviors ◽

African American Students ◽

Hiv Risk Behaviors ◽

Risky Sexual Behaviors ◽

African American College Students ◽

American Students

The participants were 256 African-American students between the ages of 18 and 25, from two historically Black universities. The purpose of this study was to see how dimensions of religiosity and spirituality influenced the HIV risk behavior in African-American college students. Each participant completed the Expressions of Spirituality Inventory (ESI) and a survey of sexual attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. The data were analyzed using a series of ANOVAs, t tests, and correlations. The results from the study confirmed that there was a relationship between religiosity/spirituality and one's tendency to engage in HIV risk behaviors in the population of African-American college students. Interestingly, this study was able to reveal that traditional indicators of religiosity, such as association and church attendance, were not predictors of any of the risky sexual behaviors or attitudes. The portions of religiosity with the greatest impact on these behaviors were the Experiential/Phenomenological, the Existential Well-being, and the Cognitive dimensions, with high scores on each indicative of less likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behaviors.

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