HIV Rates Among African American Women Essay (Critical Writing)

Definition and Scope of the Problem

HIV/AIDS remains one of the biggest health crises for African Americans, with females being most significantly affected. According to statistics provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2017a), in 2015, “4,524 African American women were diagnosed with HIV, compared with 1,131 Hispanic/Latino women and 1,431 white women” (para. 2). Their vulnerability is defined by multiple socio-cultural factors influencing sexual behaviors and health beliefs. For instance, Sampson (2015) states that a lot of young African American women have attitudes to HIV testing that are related to “fear, belief of conspiracy, and association of HIV with homosexuality” (p. 29). Such attitudes are counterproductive to the prevention efforts.

Policy Goal

For the reasons mentioned above, the policy aims to increase the frequency of HIV testing among the target population by educating them on HIV/AIDS-associated issues and raising awareness. The long-term objective of the policy is the reduction of HIV rates among African American women.

Current and Past Policies

Nowadays, a number of policies affecting the problem exist. For instance, the CDC (2017b) introduced the HIV Surveillance and Prevention Funding program aimed to promote HIV testing among people of all ages and ethnicities, and expansion of access to HIV testing services. Consistently with the given policy, the CDC has launched the “Doing It” campaign, which emphasizes the importance of HIV testing among adult people and encourages them to get tested (Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.).

One of the most significant past and still functioning projects focused on the identified problem is the Enhanced Comprehensive HIV Prevention Planning (ECHPP), which CDC conducted in accordance with the National HIV/AIDS Strategy released by the US government in 2010 (Fisher et al., 2016). As Fisher et al. (2016) state, during 2011-2013, the ECHPP allowed twelve studied health departments increase funding for HIV testing and condom distribution practices. Moreover, the ECHPP ensures the increase in the number of people from minority groups tested.

Potential Solutions

The specific solutions to the prevention of HIV in line with the national goals and the ECHPP framework are as follows:

1. Prioritized intervention in specific neighborhoods and populations (low-income individuals, drug-users, homosexuals, and transgenders) (Carey et al., 2015). Targeting at particular population groups helps reduce current health disparities and achieve better outcomes of policy implementation through direct work with those who need HIV prevention services most.
2. Enhanced condom distribution through regional centers (Carey et al., 2015). The centralized condom distribution is more efficient in terms of labor and transportation costs. It ensures constant availability of condoms within the target communities.
3. Improved linkage of people at risk to care including HIV testing and treatment (Carey et al., 2015). Through review of patient records and demographic data, healthcare providers may ensure that newly diagnosed patients and vulnerable individuals are linked to medical care successfully.
4. Community education and HIV testing promotion. Educational activities help improve individuals’ perception of risk, develop trust in the efficacy of medical services, and, to some extent, reduce HIV stigma.

Justification of Choice

As stated by Steward (2015), “low perceived risk has been associated with African Americans not seeking HIV testing despite their actual risk profile,” i.e., “engaging in high-risk HIV related behaviors including substance use, concurrency, improper or non-condom usage” (p. 70). Moreover, it is observed that African American show a significant level of mistrust to engaging in the medical system (Steward, 2015). It seems that HIV testing promotion through education is one of the most effective ways to overcome those barriers. By reviewing data on the target population group, discussing identified problems with stakeholders, and engaging African American women in group listening sessions, it will be possible to gather evidence needed to design a culturally responsive HIV testing strategy and education campaign aimed to increase the number of individuals getting tested.

References

Carey, J. W., LaLota, M., Villamizar, K., McElroy, T., Wilson, M. M., Garcia, J., … Flores, S. A. (2015). Using high-impact HIV prevention to achieve the national HIV/AIDS strategic goals in Miami-Dade County, Florida: A case study. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice : JPHMP, 21(6), 584–593.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017a). HIV among African Americans. Web.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017b). Integrated HIV surveillance and prevention funding for health departments. Web.

Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). Campaigns. Web.

Fisher, H. H., Hoyte, T., Flores, S. A., Purcell, D. W., Dunbar, E., & Stratford, D. (2016). evaluation framework for HIV prevention and care activities in the enhanced comprehensive HIV Prevention planning project, 2010–2013. Public Health Reports, 131(1), 67–75.

Sampson, B. J. (2015). Factors that influence HIV testing among African American college women. Web.

Stewart, J. M. (2015). A multi-level approach for promoting HIV testing within African American church settings. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 29(2), 69–76.