Hearing our voices: Assessing HIV prevention needs among Asian and Pacific Islander women

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to (a) assess the impact of HIV/AIDS on the Asian-Pacific Islander (API) community and changes in their behavior due to AIDS, (b) identify per-ception of risk, HIV risk behaviors, factors contributing to those behaviors, barriers to HIV prevention, and the types of prevention programs that would benefit their community, and (c) describe culturally appropriate considerations when designing HIV prevention strategies for API women. Thirty API adults participated in three different groups. Focus group interviewing methods were used, guided by the Health Belief Model. The women had numerous concerns about HIV that placed them at risk for infection, such as their inability to talk with their sexual partners about condom use due to the cultural and taboo nature of sexual topics. All groups con-cluded that for HIV prevention interventions to be successful, they must be tailored to the cultural and specific needs of API women. Women continue to be the fastest growing group of per-sons becoming infected with AIDS, accounting for 18 % of all AIDS cases in 1994, in contrast to 10 % in 1988. If this trend continues, it is expected that women will account for 30 % of all AIDS cases by 2000 (Guinan & Leviton, 1995). In contrast to White American women, the incidence of AIDS is increasing more rapidly within the Asian-Pacific Islander (API) population in the United States. Although the number of reported AIDS cases among APIs remains small, it totals about 1 % of total cases reported in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 1997). Underreporting and a lack of detailed HIV surveillance about APIs may mask the true nature of the epidemic among APIs. Although the reported API female cases are lower than that of API males, female APIs represent a population at risk. Among the 81 adult female API cases reported in 1996, 30