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“TAKE CONTROL, PROTECT YOUR B   DY”
  • A Culturally-Oriented HIV Prevention Program for
  • Haitian Women
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WOMEN’s WORKING GROUP
  • THE FOLLOWING METRO BOSTON HAITIAN REACH 2010 COALITION MEMBERS CONTRIBUTED TO THE POSTER:
  • Carmelle Bonhometre
  • Association of Haitian Women in Boston (AFAB)
  • Gemima St. Louis, Ph.D.
  • Boston Medical Center/Children’s AIDS Program (BMC/CAP)
  • Marques Laforest
  • Cambridge Health Alliance, Haitian Health Outreach Project (CHA/HHOP)
  • Eustache Jean-Louis, MD, MPH & Elaine Carlson
  • Center for Community Health, Education & Research (CCHER)
  • Johny M. Veillard, MD & Marie Ketly Thimoleon Massachusetts Coalition for Health Services/Brockton CHASE AIDS (MCHS)
  • Anna Madison
  • University of Mass Boston,
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 BACKGROUND
  • HIV/AIDS affects a disproportionate number of Haitians both in the UNITED STATES AND IN HAITI.
  • An estimated 300,000 people (4.5% of the population) are now infected with HIV/AIDS in Haiti.
  • In Massachusetts, 970 cumulative AIDS cases have been reported among Haitians.
  • Haiti has the highest rate of HIV infection in the Caribbean.
  • About 110 people die every day in Haiti from AIDS-related illnesses.
  • Haitian women have a higher risk of contracting HIV/AIDS than men. The male-to-female ratio has decreased from 4 to 1, to 2 to 1.
  • The primary source of HIV transmission is heterosexual contact or presumed heterosexual relationships.
  • SOURCES: Center for Strategic and International Studies, “Developments in Haiti’s Fight against HIV/AIDS.” www.kaisernetwork.org,
  •     Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
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HIV PREVENTION PROGRAM
  • Developed to address the disparity in HIV infection  rates among Haitian women.
  • Based on the Social Cognitive Learning model, with   a focus on Haitian cultural values, social norms and practices, and individual attitudes and behaviors.
  • Designed to encourage Haitian women to engage in behaviors that can reduce their chances of contracting HIV/AIDS.
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INTERVENTION MODEL:
The Group Workshops
  • Rotated small group workshops in different community-based agencies connecting to the Metro Boston Haitian REACH 2010 Coalition.
  • Composed of 6 sessions that focus on
    • Socio-cultural barriers
    •  Social impact of HIV/AIDS
    • Basic facts about HIV/AIDS
    • HIV and domestic violence
    • HIV and pregnancy
    • Effective HIV prevention strategies
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The Group Workshops
                                                  (cont.)
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METHODOLOGY
  • Participants were recruited via telephone directories, existing agency lists, word-of-mouth, flyers, radio announcements, and community-based centers.
  • Enrollees completed questionnaires via telephone or in-person before and after workshops.
  • Participants also completed feedback forms following each workshop session.
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FINDINGS
  • Note:
  • The results presented here are based on the
  • pre-intervention survey.
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HIV KNOWLEDGE
  • Figure 1 shows the percentages of Haitian women who provided “correct”  “incorrect” and  “don’t know” answers to questions regarding general HIV knowledge and HIV knowledge specific to women.
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BEHAVIORAL MEASURES
  • a. Condom Use
  • Figure 2 shows how often women used condoms when engaged in sexual activities. Close to half (49%) reported no condom use, while only 15% said they always or almost always use condoms.
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BEHAVIORAL MEASURES
                                                                               (cont)
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HIV/AIDS & CULTURAL
BELIEF SYSTEMS
  • Figure 5 shows some of the cultural barriers that may prevent Haitian individuals from accessing and using HIV/AIDS education and prevention strategies.
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HIV/AIDS & CULTURAL
BELIEF SYSTEMS                                                                                      
                                                              (cont)
  • Figure 6 shows some of the socio-cultural beliefs and values that may affect Haitian women’s decision not to seek HIV testing and counseling.
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LESSONS LEARNED
  • HIV prevention efforts need to focus on ALTERING HIV-RISK BEHAVIORS among Haitian women.
  • HIV prevention strategies need to address factors that AFFECT ACCESS TO AND USE OF EFFECTIVE prevention strategies among Haitian women.
  • Prevention programs need to concentrate on INCREASING HIV TESTING AND ADDRESSING THE FEARS that may prevent women from getting tested.
  • Prevention programs must address the ROLE OF SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS on the spread of HIV disease among Haitian women.
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 CONCLUSION
  • General knowledge about HIV/AIDS is high among Haitian women participating in our small group workshops.
  • Not many Haitian women are ENGAGING IN HIV-RISK-REDUCTION behaviors (e.g., consistent condom use).
  • The percentage of Haitian women who get TESTED FOR HIV IS LOW.
  • Haitian women MAY NOT GET TESTED DUE TO FEAR of social rejection, legal status in the U.S., and feelings of invulnerability.
  • SOCIO-CULTURAL BARRIERS play a major role in influencing Haitian women’s access to and use of HIV/AIDS education strategies as well as HIV testing behavior.
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