Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #122195

Susan L. Davies, PhD, Jill A. Ross, RN, PhD, and Lonnie Hannon, MS. Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Blvd., Suite 227, Birmingham, AL 35294, (205) 975-8049, sdavies@uab.edu

Focus groups and structured interviews were used to assess psychosocial barriers to HIV prevention among an underserved and understudied population of African American males (ages 19 to 24) living in a resource-poor community in the south. Based on emerging data, an ancillary study was initiated among females in the same community. In comparing the HIV-related perceptions among these two populations, definite gender differences were revealed. Four primary themes emerged from both data sets: 1) the idea that AIDS is a form of genocide against minority groups; 2) the role of the healthcare community in educating the public and providing effective prevention and treatment for HIV/AIDS; 3) high overall concern about HIV in the African American community; 4) the influence of knowledge about HIV; personal needs; and priorities on sexual risk behaviors. Findings suggest some gender-specific perceptions within key aspects of the themes. Females tended to be more trusting of the healthcare system for providing information and treatment for HIV; they also thought condoms were highly important in general but had reasons for not using them in specific circumstances. Males expressed significantly more community-level distrust that extends beyond the health care system and thus negatively impacts HIV risk and other health behaviors, but social manifestations as well (anger, apathy, powerlessness, delinquency, poverty). Future HIV prevention efforts should consider the influence of gender on individual's interpretation and response to risk.

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