HIV/AIDS-preventive behavior in recent-immigrant Jamaican women

Abstract

The human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) pandemic continues to affect people in the United States and around the world at a profound rate, with African Americans being disproportionately affected. This exploratory, descriptive, and phenomenological study explores the meaning of HIV/AIDS safe sex practices among 20 recent immigrant, Jamaican, single, heterosexual women. The study describes the participants' HIV/AIDS prevention knowledge, behaviors, practices, health-belief systems, and social and cultural factors that influence their health belief system. The Health Belief Model guided the study, and the maximum variation criterion sampling technique was used to select participants. In-depth interviews, journal entries, and field notes were utilized to collect data from participants. Findings showed that most women were aware of the devastating effect of HIV/AIDS, its modes of transmission, and some aspects of prevention. The participants' religious beliefs were deeply embedded in their health practices. Women predominantly believed that HIV/AIDS was influenced by external causes. Primarily, prayer was used by participants to deal with illnesses, and they often self-medicated or accessed alternative forms of treatment before seeking medical care. Participants in this study perceived HIV/AIDS as severe, but most women did not perceive themselves as susceptible to the disease. Perceived benefits outweighed the perceived cost of practicing HIV/AIDS preventive behavior among these women. The single most motivating factor for practicing HIV/AIDS preventive behavior was knowing someone personally with the disease. However, not many women knew anyone with the disease. Women in this study did not use condoms, and some expressed lack of condom negotiating skills with partners. They also expressed fear of losing their relationship and fear of physical or mental abuse from their significant other as barriers to using condoms. Many were not sure that their relationships were mutually monogamous, and talking about sex and sexual issues among this population is still viewed as taboo.