HIV/STI prevention for midlife women

Data reveal that women remain sexually active throughout the life span. Recent data reveal that significant numbers of sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies occur among midlife women. More information is needed regarding the specific risk factors and health education needs of this age group of women so that effective intervention programs and materials can be developed. Data will be presented from 3 focus groups each with four racial/ethnic groups of midlife women (African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, European American, and Hispanic/Latina) conducted in three U.S. cities (Chicago, IL, Portland, OR, San Diego, CA). The number of women in each focus group ranged from 5 to 10. Each focus group was limited to women of one race/ethnicity, and was lead by a female facilitator matching the race/ethnicity of the participants. The focus group discussion guide addressed participant's perceptions of risk, perceived barriers to prevention, attitudes regarding prevention strategies (e.g., condom use), and beliefs and self-efficacy regarding negotiation of condom use. Focus group data were audiotape recorded, transcribed, and entered into the NVIVO qualitative analytic software package for systematic qualitative analysis. Two members of the research team read the transcripts and individually listed themes in the discussion that addressed each of the research objectives. When discrepancies arose, the two team members discussed their findings until they reached a consensus. To illustrate each of the emerging themes, we selected exact quotes from the transcripts for inclusion in this presentation.