Reframing the Reality of African American Women at Risk for HIV/AIDS Using an Ecological Model
Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: Reframing the Reality of African American Women at Risk for HIV/AIDS Using an Ecological ModelJacquelyn is a 32-year old HIV-positive African American female.She was diagnosed with HIV at 24 years of age, although it took her a few years to come to terms with the diagnosis and seek treatment.She and her brother were raised in the city by their mother and father, both of whom were employed.Jacquelyn was pushed hard by her parents growing up, as they wanted her to go to college and have a successful career and life.For the most part, Jacquelyn resented this pushing, and often just wished her parents would acknowledge her successes and tell her that they loved her.By high school, Jacquelyn had had several romantic and sexual relationships, although nothing that lasted more than a few months.Jacquelyn had received basic sex education in health class, and was simply told by her mother not to have sex.After high school, Jacquelyn attended a local university where she met Ryan, whom she dated throughout college and after they graduated.Jacquelyn quickly became financially dependent on Ryan, as she quit her job in order to keep up in school and spend more time with him.Jacquelyn was not Ryan's only sexual partner, although he led her to believe this by telling her how special she was and that he loved her.Jacquelyn often suspected that Ryan was being unfaithful to her.Ryan was also a drug user, although Jacquelyn was unaware of this fact.Jacquelyn and Ryan never used condoms during intercourse, as he told her that he was clean and she did not want to risk losing him as a partner by insisting they use protection.Ryan was diagnosed with HIV three years into their relationship, although he did not tell Jacquelyn until they ended up in the doctor's office and she insisted to be told what was going on.Shortly after this, Jacquelyn tested positively for HIV.Despite a growing belief that AIDS is no longer a fatal disease, African American women are dying from AIDS-related illnesses at an alarming rate (U.S.Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2010a).Today, women account for more than one in four new HIV/AIDS cases in the United States, and two out of three of these newly infected women are African-American.In 2006, the rate of new HIV infection for black women was nearly 15 times as high as that of white women, and nearly four times that of Hispanic/Latina women (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2010a).HIV disease is the third leading cause of death for black women age 35 to 44 and the fourth leading cause of death for black women age 25 to 34.African American women are clearly disproportionately affected by HIV disease, but few HIV prevention strategies exist that are specifically adapted to the realities of their lives and that address the multifaceted risk determinants for African American women.Although much of
Author: Sara Adkins
Institution: University of Puget Sound
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W829375413