Using the health belief model and acculturation to predict safer sexual behavior and sexual communication among African immigrants in the State of Ohio

Since the outbreak of the HIV/AIDS in the 1980s, there has been a proliferation of studies to increase our understanding of the mode of HIV/AID transmission and different HIV/AIDS risk reduction strategies, yet after three decades, the disease still remains a global menace. African immigrants in the US are at high risk of HIV/AIDS because of their sexual behaviors and their unwillingness to communicate about their sexual behaviors to their partners, however they are the least studied subpopulation in the US. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to examine the extent to which: (a) the constructs of HBM predict safer sexual behavior and sexual communication of African immigrants, (b) the concept of acculturation predict African immigrants' safer sexual behavior and sexual negotiation, and (c) sexual communication predict safer sexual behavior. A 64-item survey was validated by a panel of six experts in a two round review process. Cronbach's alpha and test retest reliability coefficients were calculated and found to be over 0.70 and thus acceptable. The survey was administered to a sample of 230 African immigrants in the State of Ohio. Stepwise multiple regression was used to model safer sexual behavior and sexual communication using constructs of HBM and acculturation. Results of the study show that perceived benefit, barriers and self-efficacy are significant predictors of condom use and sexual communication. High acculturation is important predictor of African immigrants' communication about sex. Future safer sex practices and sexual communication interventions for African immigrants must build on HBM constructs.