Two-year follow-up of AIDS education programs for impoverished women.
The long-term effects of two culturally competent AIDS education programs with different content on the risk behavior and AIDS-related knowledge of 410 homeless African American women 2 years after program completion were examined. Participants were members of a larger cohort of impoverished African American and Latina women recruited in Los Angeles from 1989 to 1991. Of a subsample of 527 African American women selected randomly for a 2-year follow-up interview, 410 (78%) were located and agreed to participate. Women participating in both AIDS education programs reported reduced HIV risk behaviors and demonstrated greatly improved AIDS knowledge at 2-year follow-up (p < .001). Women in a specialized program were less likely than those in a traditional program to report noninjection drug use at 2 years. Women in the traditional program had significantly better AIDS knowledge at follow-up (p < .001). These findings suggest that educational programs can produce sustained benefits among impoverished women.
Nyamathi
A M
AM
School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, USA. anyamath@sonnet.ucla.edu
Kington
R S
RS
Flaskerud
J
J
Lewis
C
C
Leake
B
B
Gelberg
L
L
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D008875:Middle Aged; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014932:Women's Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*