HIV/AIDS prevention practices among recent-immigrant Jamaican women

The HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to affect people in the United States and around the world at a profound rate, and African Americans are disproportionately affected.

This exploratory, descriptive, and phenomenological study explored the meaning of HIV/AIDS safer sex practices among 20 single, heterosexual women, 18-30 years old, who emigrated from Jamaica in the last 12 years. The study described the participants' HIV/AIDS prevention knowledge, behaviors, health-beliefs, and social and cultural factors that influenced their behaviors. 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 used to collect data. Diekelmann, Allen, and Tanner's seven-stage process of Heideggarian hermeneutics data analysis was used to produce rich descriptions of shared practices and common meanings.

Participants in this study acknowledged that HIV/AIDS was serious, but most women did not perceive themselves as susceptible to the disease. Women in this study did not use condoms. These women expressed lack of condom negotiation skills, fear of losing their relationship, and fear of physical or mental abuse from their significant other as barriers to using condoms.

Most women were knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS prevention but have religious beliefs and cultural practices that were deeply embedded in their health practices. Many women were not sure of a mutually monogamous relationship, and talking about sexual issues was viewed as taboo. This research provides the foundation for the development of culturally appropriate interventions to decrease HIV/AIDS and improve health disparities among immigrant women.