AEGiS-14IAC: Dating violence and HIV prevention of african american women in Palm Beach County.

14th International AIDS Conference

Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

Dating violence and HIV prevention of african american women in Palm Beach County.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. F11769)

Hughes GD, Jones MA, Oyebola AA, Famuyide ME
Division of Epidemiology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, United States

ISSUES: This discussion will focus on a preventive program that had provided culturally competent prevention and education in the areas of intimate partner violence prevention and HIV prevention to the African American community in Palm Beach County. The African American community affected by HIV/AIDS confront gaps in services across a continuum that include crisis management and stabilization services; emergency shelter, transitional and long term housing needs; economic sustenance; and a long term psychosocial support. This results in a disparity between a community's ability to access and utilize services and it service providers' capacity to meet the needs of the community in which it is based. To this end, the focus of the Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention Program has been to seek solutions that promote the development of services so that 100 percent of victims living in Florida have equal access to domestic violence and HIV/ AIDS prevention and intervention services.

DESCRIPTION: The goal of the Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention Program has provide intensive support and prevention education to the African American women in Palm beach County through a comprehensive awareness campaign that promotes intimate partner violence and HIV/AIDS prevention. The project had offered culturally competent school and community based prevention/intervention program targeting African American community based on age, gender and ethnicity.

LESSON LEARNED: Services provided in ways defined are helpful and exceed existing efforts. Lack of culturally competent programming is linked to the increase in HIV prevalence. RECOMMENDATION: This research recommends that preventive efforts should continue to seek flaws in the characteristics/behaviors of those impacted by the virus.

Keywords: AEGIS, African Americans, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Domestic Violence, Prevalence, HIV Infections, Health Education, Health Services Needs and Demand, Florida, Human, Female, prevention & control, Education

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F11769