title: The NIA Group. Building a sense of purpose in preadolescent African American girls: a novel approach to nursing leadership in community health.
abstract: Many African American girls experience pubertal development early. Earlier pubertal development may place these girls at greater risk of exposure to or engagement in early sexual behavior. Young girls facing this societal context need interventions to help them develop healthy self-esteem, pride in their cultural heritage, good decision-making skills and a sense of purpose. It was from these concerns that the NIA Program of Self-Development for preadolescent girls was initiated as a collaboration of the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, a local public school, and the nursing staff of the Matilda Theiss Health Center, a comprehensive community health center that houses the NIA Group. The group's name, "NIA," meaning a sense of purpose, is derived from one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, a yearly African American celebration of cultural heritage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion & Development, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, USA. wdo100+@pitt.edu
authors.forename: Willa M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Doswell
authors.forename: Shirley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Portis
authors.forename: Theda
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jemison
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaufmann
authors.forename: Betty
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Braxter
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Green
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000193:education*; D002648:Child; D003153:Community Health Services; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D010414:Pennsylvania; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011627:Puberty / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D012572:School Health Services; D012736:Sex Education / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D035862:Vulnerable Populations