Background: Adolescents living in rural areas of the United States face significant risks for HIV infection. Little research has focused on rural populations, particularly in states with major urban HIV epidemics. The objective of this research is to increase knowledge regarding HIV-related risks, perceptions, communication patterns, and sources of information among 15 to 19 year old adolescents, parents/guardians, and youth service providers in a rural (population <50,000) New York State county.
Methods: As part of a larger study, six focus group discussions were conducted with teens, parents/guardians, and youth service providers during late 1999. Participants completed self-administered questionnaires regarding HIV knowledge, AIDS-related worries, communication confidence, and sources of information. Questionnaires served as springboards for focus group discussions. Discussions were transcribed and analyzed for significant themes. Focus group participants met again to validate the preliminary findings.
Results: HIV-related risk behaviors were described as common in this rural community at the same time as HIV was rarely discussed within families, peer-groups, and organizations. Descriptions of communication patterns identified potential areas for intervention. While adults strove to be "askable," teens emphasized that adults’ accurate knowledge about and comfort with HIV-related subjects were vital; being "askable" was necessary but not sufficient to foster effective adult-teen communication about HIV.
Conclusions: Rural youth and their adult care providers describe HIV-related risk behaviors as common within their communities and peer groups. Interventions increasing parents’ and guardians’ knowledge, comfort level, and skills in communicating about HIV-related risk are needed and are likely to be well received.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to: 1) Identify three HIV-related risk behaviors described as common by teens, parents/guardians, and service providers in a rural New York State community; 2) Describe two obstacles to personalization and informal communication about HIV-related risk in a rural NYS community; 3) Describe components of adult-teen communication which rural NYS teens view as contributing to HIV understanding and risk reduction; and 4) Discuss the use of focus groups to debrief survey research participants and to complement/enhance survey data
Keywords: Adolescents, HIV/AIDS
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.