'Smoking': use of cigarettes, cigars and blunts among Southeast Asian American youth and young adults.

Increased use of cigars has been noted among youth, as well as use of blunts (hollowed-out cigars filled with marijuana). Three types of relationships have been previously hypothesized between use of tobacco and marijuana in substance use progression. We aimed to assess these relationships for Southeast Asian American youth and adults in an urban population. We conducted in-person interviews with 164 Southeast Asians, smokers and non-smokers, in two low-income urban communities in Northern California, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. Analysis of the quantitative data indicated distinct use patterns for blunts, cigars and other forms of marijuana in terms of associations with generation in the United States. The use of these items was also found to be related: ever having smoked cigarettes or blunts increased the risk of ever having smoked the other three items. Qualitative data found indications of all three hypothesized relationships between tobacco and marijuana for youths but not for older adults. For youths in the study, 'smoking' was found to constitute a social construct within which use of cigarettes, cigars and blunts were somewhat interchangeable. Youths in similar settings may initiate into and progress through smoking as an activity domain rather than any one of these items.

Are African American women worried about getting AIDS? A qualitative analysis.

The aims of this study were to explore and describe AIDS-related worry among African American women and determine whether AIDS risk behaviors were associated with women's AIDS-related worry status. Of 142 women interviewed, 36% (n = 51) expressed some worry about getting AIDS, compared to 64% (n = 91) who did not express worry. In general, both worried and nonworried women were equally likely to report risk behaviors such as no condom use or having risky sexual partners and no significant relationships were found between worry status and self-reported HIV/AIDS risk behaviors. Women gave several reasons for why they did or did not feel worried about getting AIDS. For example, 23% of worried women responded that they were worried about getting AIDS because of the uncertainty of their sex partners' risk behaviors. This contrasted strongly with the nonworried women, 10% of whom reported trusting their partners and 64% of whom reported engaging in some type of protective behavior. Results indicate that regardless of worry status, women were not protecting themselves by using condoms or using careful partner selection. Therefore we recommend that future HIV/AIDS educational intervention programs appeal to and encourage participation for all women whether or not they express concern about contracting the disease. In addition, programs must carefully address the issue of denial, and provide skills for assessing and modifying risky behaviors.

HIV testing among low-income African-American mothers.

HIV testing patterns were examined among low-income African Americans who were mothers of young school-age children. In-person interviews were conducted to determine whether African-American women had been tested for HIV; their sexual behaviors, including the number of sexual partners and condom use; and health care access and utilization. Forty-one percent of the women had been tested for HIV; 18 percent tested more than once. Levels of education, source of primary health care, and type of insurance were not associated with HIV testing. The total number of sexual partners for their current lifetime and within the past five years was significantly associated with their HIV testing status (chi 2 = 39.97; DF = 3; p < .01 and chi 2 = 66.68; DF = 3; p < .01 respectively). Women who have used condoms during their last intercourse (20%) were less likely to have been tested than women who did not use a condom (50%) (p < .01). Results suggest that low-income African-American women get tested for HIV. This suggests that these women understand the concept of risk and how certain behaviors may place them at risk. However, these women still confront conditions that place them at risk, such as having sex with multiple partners and/or partners with a history of incarceration, in addition to drug use. HIV testing may not serve as the most effective intervention for this sub-population of women. Educational and preventive measures should extend to women outside traditional high-risk populations by incorporating methods to promote protective behavioral changes which will empower women with self-esteem and confidence.

Accessing an understudied population in behavioral HIV/AIDS research: low income African American women.

Most HIV/AIDS behavior research involving African American women has focused on traditional high risk populations, such as those in drug treatment centers, STD clinics, and hospitals. Few studies have examined the health needs and behaviors of African American women in the general population (i.e., working mothers and homemakers). The Parent Health Project examined beliefs and concepts of illness, including AIDS, of low income African American mothers of young children. We used a variety of methods of community outreach and recruitment strategies to gain access and trust from these African American women, including (1) recruitment of women who had children in a related research project, (2) subject reimbursement, and (3) culturally sensitive community based outreach. Of approximately 200 women contacted, 147 (74%) agreed to participate in a two-hour face-to-face interview about concepts of health and illness. Through our efforts, we were able to gain access to a population generally not studies in HIV/AIDS research. We were also exposed to a number of issues, concerns and behaviors faced by women not classified as high risk, yet who are at risk as a result of their own and/or their sexual partner's(s) risk behaviors.