Barriers to safer sex practices among African American college students

• Published in: Journal of the National Medical Association Vol. 94; no. 11; pp. 944 - 951
• Main Authors: DUNCAN, Cecil, PHD, MILLER, Doreen M, RHD, BORSKEY, Erma J, MSW, JD, FOMBY, Betty, DAWSON, Peter, DAVIS, Lucille
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thorofare, NJ Slack 01.11.2002; Elsevier Limited; National Medical Association
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; African Americans; Biological and medical sciences; Condoms; Female; HIV Infections - prevention & control; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Risk-Taking; Safe Sex; Sex Factors; Sexual Behavior; Students; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids; Epidemic; Human; college; Immunopathology; Heterosexuality; university; sex; Retroviridae; AIDS; students; Student; Immune deficiency; Lentivirus; Infection; Virus; Prevention; HIV; Viral disease; Race; Transmission from man to man; Human immunodeficiency virus; Age; African American
• ISSN: 0027-9684; 1943-4693

African American college students are among the age group of African Americans with significantly higher heterosexual transmission of HIV. It has been projected that young African Americans of college age will be the next group to be affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The goals of this research were to identify barriers to African American college students engaging in safer sex behaviors; determine whether barriers to safer sex differ for African American men versus African American women; and use the findings to help identify strategies likely to promote safer sex practices among African American college students. The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) was used to collect the information. The results yielded the following themes. For males and females, the combined themes, negative views of condoms were ranked the most important with a score of 70. Trust issues were ranked the second most important with a total score of 47. The third highest ranked theme was living for the moment with a total score of 43. The fourth highest ranked theme was feeling invincible with a total score of 42. The authors provide a number of recommendations for consideration in the development of HIV prevention programs for African American college students.