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

Abstract #108509

Shandowyn Parker, PhD, MPH¹, Joan E. Cowdery, PhD¹, and Bettina Campbell, CSW². (1) Department of Health Sciences & Administration, University of Michigan, Flint, 2102 WSW Bldg., Flint, MI 48502, 810-762-3172, shanpark@umflint.edu, (2) YOUR Center, 4002 N. Saginaw Street, Flint, MI 48502

Background: African Americans are disproportionately represented in the HIV/AIDS epidemic. STD and HIV rates are extremely high in this post-industrial mid-western urban environment with a high minority population (53% African-American). This project examines the application of the Pen-3 Cultural framework in the planning, implementation and evaluation of a culturally specific, locally relevant intervention to reduce HIV infection among African-American adults. The Pen-3 model situates culture at the center of determinants of health and provides a framework to identify and organize a community's cultural components and identify intervention entry points. Methods: African American adults were recruited to participate in a multilevel intervention which addressed HIV knowledge, stigma, fear, and assertive communication with significant others including family and friends. The premise of the intervention focused on the concept of “Each One Bring One” to impact HIV through close interpersonal relationships and interactions. The intervention focused on training individuals to educate others within their social network regarding HIV risk taking behaviors, prevention, and testing. Results: Results from the study address impact of intervention effectiveness that include the number of individuals who receive training by intervention participants, effectiveness at recruiting significant others into subsequent intervention cohorts, effectiveness at promoting testing among significant others, and changes in individual risk taking behavior. Conclusions: Use of the Pen-3 cultural framework for intervention development provides valuable guidelines for ensuring development of a culturally relevant intervention. Facilitating dialogue about HIV related issues through social networks could be an effective strategy for impacting HIV prevention among African American adults.

Learning Objectives:

• 1.Explain the tenets of the PEN-3 cultural framework 2.Apply a cultural framework in the development and implementation of an HIV intervention with a minority population 3.Evaluate the effectiveness of a culturally relevant HIV intervention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.