Sources of Information and HIV/AIDS in Minority Communities of Broward County

• Main Author: Sanchez Brana, Elizabeth
• Format: Others
• Published: Scholarly Repository 2011
• Subjects: sources of information; behavioral intervention; HIV/AIDS; minority populations; Broward County; REACH 2010
• Online Access: http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/695

In 2008 it was estimated that in Broward County approximately 1 in 130 was living with HIV/AIDS. Broken down by race, it was 1 in 216 Whites, 1 in 50 Blacks and 1 in 198 Hispanics. Broward County had the second highest case rate of all the counties in the state of Florida. HIV/AIDS prevention remains a critical challenge and high impact prevention strategies are needed consistently to reach the most people using limited time, effort and funds. There has been little evidence to demonstrate the relationship between sources of information, specifically media channels, and risk perception and risk behaviors. Through its ability to widely spread information and education, media (TV, radio, newspaper and internet) remains a formidable tool in addressing HIV/AIDS prevention with minorities. The literature review found few published reports that explored media and its relationship to risk perception, behavior and testing in minority communities. This epidemiological study analyzed data from the REACH 2010 Project (“Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health”), a project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), that performed a variety of prevention interventions targeted at minority communities in Broward County, Florida. The study assessed the relationship between media as a source of information for HIV/AIDS with three behaviors; risk perception, risk behavior and HIV testing. It provides valuable information for future media interventions aimed at risk minority populations by community based organizations (CBOs), HIV/AIDS prevention service providers and state health departments.