HIV Risk Perceptions Among African American College Women in the South

Background Recent data continue to demonstrate an alarmingly disproportionate trend in HIV prevalence among minority women. Nearly half of all HIV infections occur among people under 25, with the majority of cases among females. In addition, the first documented HIV outbreak among college students occurred among African Americans in North Carolina which has alerted HIV researchers to the importance of college campuses as intervention sites.

Methods The study's qualitative methodology used focus group discussions to explore HIV risk behaviors and their antecedents among college women. Eligible participants were African American females enrolled at the University of North Carolina. We conducted ten focus groups with 66 women, ages 18-32. These discussions were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using theme analysis.

Results The most commonly cited factors placing college women at risk for HIV included a sense of invincibility, promiscuity, serial monogamy, low self-esteem, alcohol and drug use, and an unbalanced African American female-to-male ratio on college campuses. Women believed that disproportionate HIV rates among African American women stem from a lack of communication between partners, relationship violence, overlapping sexual networks, incarceration rates among African American men, "down low" phenomenon, and hyper-sexualization of African American women in the media.

Conclusions This study's findings will assist health educators in developing HIV prevention programs for minority college women that are cognizant of the context of sexual relationships and the interpersonal dynamics influencing communication between partners.