Oral

The primary route of HIV transmission among women globally is a sexual encounter. Women face unique barriers to engaging in safe sex as compared to their male counterparts. In this session, participants will learn about socio-demographics and environmental factors associated with increase vulnerability and alternative therapies. The focus of the first presentation is the findings obtained from a longitudinal study that employed respondent-driven, and quota sampling. The presenter will discuss the impact of class, race, and culture on HIV risk behaviors among black and Latina women. Both presentations two and three will provide details of innovative prevention programs for women. In presentation two, case management treatment alternatives will be described while in presentation three, a web-based prevention program will be described. In presentation four, the presenter will discuss HIV risk behaviors and substance use among transgender women. In the final presentation, the focus will be the description of gender based violence, pregnancy, STIs, and sexual behaviors among HIV positive women.

Session Objectives: 1. Discuss the importance of developing and implementing culturally-relevant interventions for women. 2. Describe treatment options/innovative prevention programs and evaluate their efficacy in addressing substance use and HIV risk behaviors among women. 3. Recognize the relationship of violence to HIV risk behaviors among HIV positive women.

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing