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Current Projects |
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Increasing HIV Testing through a Health Promotion Focus Funded by: Universitywide AIDS Research Program (PI: Frank Galvan, PhD) This present study seeks to compare two different HIV testing outreach protocols for use with Latino men screened for high risk of infection with HIV: a standard HIV testing outreach protocol offering only the HIV test, and a broader health promotion outreach protocol offering the HIV test in the context of tests for the following conditions: gonorrhea, syphilis, Chlamydia, alcohol dependence, drug dependence and depression. This study seeks to answer the following two research questions: which protocol will get more people to test for HIV and specifically which protocol will get more HIV-positive people to come in for testing. Outreach with Latino men between the ages of 21 and 50 years will be conducted at gay bars catering to Latino men who have sex with men. Participants will be randomly selected at the research sites and screened for high-risk behaviors. This study will have implications for how HIV prevention is conducted in California among Latino men at high risk for HIV who frequent bars catering to men who have sex with men.
Alcohol Use among HIV-Positive Ethnic Minorities Funded by: National Institute for General Medical Sciences (PI: Frank Galvan, PhD) The specific aims of the study are as follows: To obtain comprehensive information about alcohol consumption by HIV-positive African Americans and Latinos by utilizing a clinical diagnostic measure of alcohol abuse, and, to identify the specific issues relevant to alcohol abuse among HIV-positive Latinos and African Americans. This study seeks to identify the particular strengths found in these populations that can be of assistance to HIV-positive ethnic minorities trying to eliminate their use of alcohol. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods are incorporated into the study. This research will help to identify elements that should be incorporated in alcohol treatment programs geared to HIV-positive ethnic minorities.
Latino Day Laborers’ HIV Risk in Targeted Geographical Areas Funded by: Universitywide AIDS Research Program (PI: Frank Galvan, PhD; Daniel J. Ortiz, PhD) This study seeks to identify the HIV risk behaviors of Latino day laborers at sites located in specific geographical locations of Los Angeles County. The specific sites that are of interest are those which have been identified as catering to men who are interested in finding male Latino immigrant day laborers for paid or unpaid sexual activity. This study seeks to examine the extent to which male Latino immigrant day laborers at these sites are potentially at risk for HIV because of their work as day laborers (for example, being approached for paid male sexual activities in their capacity as day laborers). It also seeks to examine the extent to which day laborers in such contexts are protecting themselves from HIV or engaging in HIV-related risk behaviors and the factors associated with those activities. It is anticipated that the results will provide direction in the creation of HIV prevention programs that respond more specifically to the needs of male Latino immigrant day laborers throughout California.
Impact of Social Support Networks on Engagement in HIV Care among Publicly Insured Latinos and African Americans in Los Angeles County Funded by: Universitywide AIDS Research Program (PI: Frank Galvan, PhD)
Development of a Sexual Health Intervention for African-American Young Adult Women Funded by: The National Institute for General Medical Sciences (PI: Keisha Carr Paxton, PhD) African-American women comprise a disproportionate amount of HIV and AIDS cases in the United States and the primary mode of transmission for this group is heterosexual intercourse. Furthermore, the majority of newly reported HIV infections occur among young women under 25 years of age. As such, significant efforts to curtail the spread of HIV should target the sexual health, knowledge and behaviors of African-American young women. The purpose of this project is to determine the role of peer influences on sexual knowledge and behavior among African-American women ages 18-25 using quantitative and qualitative methods in order to develop and pilot a culturally relevant, social network HIV sexual health intervention. To achieve this, there are three specific aims: 1) To obtain quantitative and qualitative information of the sexual knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes of African-American young adult women; 2) To ascertain African-American young adult women’s views about various components of sexual health interventions for the purpose of intervention development; and 3) To develop and pilot a culturally relevant sexual health intervention for African-American young women. To achieve these specific aims, a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods will be utilized. This four-year study takes place in three stages: the Planning Phase, the Data Phase, and the Pilot Phase. During the Planning Phase, 18 African-American women were recruited to gain in depth information about their friendship networks. The Data Phase involves both a quantitative and qualitative component. In the quantitative piece, nearly 150 women completed surveys assessing their HIV sexual risk behaviors, mental health, social support, and other psychosocial measures. In the qualitative portion, approximately 80 African-American women are currently being recruited to participate in focus groups and interviews examining their sexual knowledge, behaviors, attitudes and related factors (e.g., friendship groups, psychosocial measures). From this data, a sexual health intervention targeting the friendship network will be developed. During the Pilot Phase, four friendship networks will participate in a pilot of the intervention and will be compared to four friendship networks in the control condition to examine the feasibility and impact of the intervention.
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Drew CARES |
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Drew Center for AIDS Research, Education, and Services |
HIV/STD Prevention among Angolan Military RecruitsFunded by: National Institute of Mental Health(PI: Eric G. Bing, PhD; Karen G. Cheng, PhD, Daniel J. Ortiz, PhD) HIV has had a devastating impact on Sub-Saharan Africa. Nearly all countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are known to have high rates of HIV infection, except Angola due the isolation it experienced over three decades of civil war that recently ended in 2002. An HIV prevention intervention is crucial in order for Angola to avoid the devastation that HIV has ravaged the rest of southern Africa. Our Angolan/American collaborative research team includes HIV prevention and alcohol researchers, an expert in Angolan politics and the Chief of HIV/STD prevention in the Angolan Armed Forces, and has the following specific aims: to test the effectiveness of a cognitive-behaviorally focused intervention designed to reduce high-risk sexual behaviors and the incidence of STDs and to determine if predisposing factors such as sociodemographic and personal characteristics, psychiatric symptoms and disorders, alcohol use and history of STDs moderate the effect of the intervention. If an intervention such as the one we are conducting is effective among military recruits in Angola, an impoverished country at war, it may have applicability to many developing nations throughout the world battling HIV with scarce resources and little hope of treatment.
A Civil-Military Alliance to Combat AIDS in Angola Funded by: US Agency for International Development (PI: Eric G. Bing, PhD) Assuring that our Angolan partners have the structure and skills to continue improving the health of Angolans far into the future is an essential component of the ongoing USAID project that began in 2004. Drew CARES has helped build the capacity of Angolan non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide Voluntary Counseling and Testing services as well as community-wide prevention campaigns throughout Angola. The training Drew CARES has provided in organizational management, including financial management and strategic planning, to our partner NGOs has led to improvements in the HIV-related services they provide. Together with our NGO partners, we have developed new relationships with local governments and agencies as part of the USAID project. Fostering these new relationships and building the capacity of partner agencies in Angola has prepared them to act as leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Prevention of HIV in the Angolan Military Funded by: Department of Defense (PI: Eric G. Bing, PhD; Karen G. Cheng, PhD, Daniel J. Ortiz, PhD) Drew University, working together with the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), has proven successful in implementing HIV prevention intervention programs, training medical personnel in HIV epidemiology and conducting focus groups to assess local knowledge and perceptions about HIV/AIDS and STDs. The work in this project is allowing the team to expand these efforts and to reach a greater number of Angolan military personnel during this critical window of opportunity between the end of three decades of civil war and the mass demobilization of military and rebel forces. This project specifically aims 1) To increase knowledge of HIV through peer advocate training. Peer advocates are soldiers instructed by our research team in HIV/AIDS prevention and encouraged to share their knowledge with fellow soldiers. We will evaluate the effectiveness of this aim by measuring the knowledge, skills, and behavior of soldiers taught by peer advocates 2) To improve demand for HIV testing and 3) To improve the laboratory and human resources infrastructure in the Angolan military to conduct Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT). Our work will span multiple regions throughout Angola. Mobile VCT teams that serve these regions will provide data on serostatus in Angola, as well as make testing available for military personnel.
The Cultural Acceptability of Using Handheld Computers to Collect Sexual Behavior Data from Groups at High Risk for HIV/AIDS in Angola Funded by: The Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services (PI: Karen G. Cheng, PhD) Handheld computers hold untapped potential for improving the quality and speed of HIV/AIDS research in low-resource countries. Collecting data via handheld computers can increase the efficiency of studies that evaluate HIV/AIDS interventions, leading to faster scale-up of proven interventions and increasing access to HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs. This study evaluates the cultural acceptability and cost-effectiveness of using handheld computers to collect sexual behavior data in Angola, an African country severely impacted by HIV/AIDS. Specifically, this study aims 1) to assess how comfortable Angolans feel in disclosing sexual behavior in handheld computer surveys compared to paper surveys, 2) to assess how comfortable Angolan interviewers feel in administering handheld computer surveys vs. paper surveys, 3) to assess the cost-effectiveness of handheld computer-based surveys compared to paper-based surveys. Results from this study will help determine the feasibility of using handheld computers to enhance HIV/AIDS research in low-resource countries.
Evaluating the cultural context of HIV risk and prevention among Angolan Women Funded by: National Institute of Mental Health(PI: Daniel J. Ortiz, PhD) Throughout sub-Saharan Africa women are being devastated by the HIV epidemic in staggering proportions. Women in Angola face a number of unique challenges that make them vulnerable to HIV infection. Aims of this research project are to conduct in-depth formative research as the basis to develop a women’s HIV intervention program. Focus groups consisting of Angolan women living in the capital city, Luanda, were conducted. Three categories of women participated: women working in the local market place, women affiliated with religious groups, and wives and girlfriends of military personnel. It is hypothesized that different groups of women will have different risk factors for HIV/AIDS. The ultimate goal of this research is to reduce HIV and other STDs among women who are sexually active. Such an intervention may have applicability for women throughout Angola and possibly to women in other developing nations fighting HIV with very limited resources and little hope for treatment. |
