Decreasing the numbers of HIV/AIDS among African American Youths
Abstract
The increasing number of HIV/AIDS among the African Americans youth is the most alarming health problem of U.S these days. This paper aims at discussing the several aspects of preventing HIV/AIDS among African Americans. The paper has discussed the existing trends in U.S society related with sex education and risky sexual behaviors among the African American youth. The social and environmental factors prevailing in the African American community contributing to HIV epidemic in U.S and HIV/AIDS disproportionality and disparity in the African American community have also been elaborated in the paper along.
Table of Contents
Introduction4
Prevention/Comprehensive Sex Education5
Nature of Sex Education Programs5
Effectiveness of Sex Education6
Risky Sexual Behaviors among African American Youth7
HIV Risk among Homosexual, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Male and Female Youths7
Risky Sexual Practices8
Social and Environmental Factors in the African American Community9
Dynamics of Sexual Relationship9
Imbalances in Influential Dynamics10
Gender Differences10
Parental Monitoring10
Peer Pressure11
Economic Recession11
HIV/AIDS Disproportionality and Disparity in the African American Community11
Prevention of HIV among African American Youth13
Conclusion14
References15
Decreasing the numbers of HIV/AIDS among African American Youths
Introduction
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and the Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) that is the cause behind AIDS among African American Youths have become the most alarming health problem of current era. The disproportionate consequences of HIV and AIDS culminated with around half of the HIV cases reported in 2007 prevailing among African Americans (Kirby et al, 2007). AIDS has turned into a major killer of the African American youth aged between 18 to 45 years (Anavberokhai, 2006). In United States, nearly 600,000 African Americans have been diagnosed with terminal infliction of AIDS and 1 million African Americans are considered as the carriers of HIV (Anavberokhai, 2006).
Adolescents and youngsters are the most vulnerable groups to the HIV infection because of their drastic involvement in unsafe sexual activities. Several research studies have proved that the most leading threat related with AIDS is its emergence as the most commonly sexually transmitted infection (STI) among the adolescents (DiClemente et al, 2002). A great number of African American youngsters affected with AIDS remain unaware of this life-threatening reality leading to the ultimate transmission of AIDS to their sexual partners without getting timely treatment (Rotheram-Borus et al, 1999). This has made AIDS the sixth most common reason behind the death of youngsters aged 15 to 25 years in United States(Kirby et al, 2007). It is most obvious need of the hour to come up with effective strategies at public and private forefront to cope up with the flourishing monster of HIV and AIDS among the African American Youths.
Prevention/Comprehensive Sex Education
The interventions developed for curbing the risky behaviors of youth have been
substantially related with enriching the youth with adequate knowledge about preventing STI and risky behaviors. Proper education about STI and HIV paces the ground for realizing the vulnerability and intensity of risky behaviors along with adapting preventive strategies in accordance with the acquired corresponding insight (Gallanta & Maticka-Tyndale, 2004).
The major purpose of providing significant sex education to African Americans is to curb the HIV infections by ...