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“Getting to Know”: Exploring How Urban African American Women Conceptualize Safer and Risky Sexual Behaviors

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Abstract

The surge in the rate of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) cases continues to be most prevalent for African American women between the ages of 18 and 29, with heterosexual transmission remaining the primary cause of HIV spread for this population. The high rates of HIV/AIDS among African American women continue to emphasize the need for understanding how members of this population conceptualize sexual safety and risk. A qualitative research study using grounded theory methods was conducted to explore how African American women define safer and risky sexual behaviors. Interviews were conducted with 14 African American women between the ages of 18 and 29. The study findings suggest that African American women’s definitions of safer and risky sexual behaviors, while in a consensual sexual relationship, are consistently influenced by sex partner type. The information garnered from this study can help inform the development of HIV prevention strategies, health education, counseling and reproductive health services that support African American women’s wellness.

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Acknowledgments

Funding from the following sources is gratefully acknowledged: NIH/NINR T32 NR007077 Health Disparities and Vulnerable Populations Research Training Program and NIH/NINR 1F311NR012091-01A1 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, Box 951702, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1702, USA

    Ann Kiki Anaebere, Sally Maliski, Adeline Nyamathi, Deborah Koniak-Griffin & Angela Hudson

  2. Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA School of Public Health, P.O. Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1772, USA

    Chandra Ford

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  1. Ann Kiki Anaebere
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  2. Sally Maliski
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  3. Adeline Nyamathi
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  4. Deborah Koniak-Griffin
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  5. Angela Hudson
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  6. Chandra Ford
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Correspondence to Ann Kiki Anaebere.

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Anaebere, A.K., Maliski, S., Nyamathi, A. et al. “Getting to Know”: Exploring How Urban African American Women Conceptualize Safer and Risky Sexual Behaviors. Sexuality & Culture 17, 113–131 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-012-9142-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-012-9142-5

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