Pilot study to assess HIV knowledge, spirituality, and risk behaviors among older African Americans

A pilot study was conducted in anticipation of implementation of a larger project to assess human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk behaviors among older African Americans. A cross-sectional methodology was employed, including 33 African Americans aged more than 50 years in the metropolitan Washington, DC, area. The average age of the participants was 66 years old, with an age range from 51 to 86 years. Data were collected utilizing previously validated instruments that were administered using an audio computer-assisted survey instrument. There was relatively high knowledge regarding HIV, with female participants scoring significantly higher compared to male participants (p=.003). Another specific finding of the preliminary study was the association between higher levels of spirituality and lower levels of HIV sexual risk behaviors (Spearman's correlation=-0.369, p=.035). Results of this pilot study suggest that older African American females may be more knowledgeable regarding HIV than older African American males. This may suggest that educational and behavioral interventions developedfor this group may need to be structured based upon the targeted gender of the audience. The association between increased spirituality and decreased risk behaviors may suggest that spiritually-based interventions may provide some benefit regarding reduction of HIV risk behaviors in this population. However, the small sample size in this study warrants caution in the conclusions and highlights the need for further research in this population.