Bill Stewart Humanities and Social Science
GETTING THE MESSAGE: Understanding the Construction and Effectiveness of Media-based HIV Prevention Information Targeting African American Men, Residing in Alameda County
My research is concerned with understanding the construction and effectiveness of media-based HIV prevention information targeting African American Men, age 18-44, residing in Alameda County, California. African Americans face the most severe burden of HIV of all racial/ethnic groups in the United States with black men accounting for 70% of the estimated new HIV infections among all blacks in 2009 (CDC). Media-based HIV information is a strategy currently being used to encourage individuals to test for HIV and begin treatment as soon as possible. I will spend the summer interviewing staff personnel (program managers, coordinators, and key personnel working in community-based organizations and the public health department) who are responsible for the development and placement of HIV-related print media targeting black men in Alameda County, to get an understanding of the process that goes into the construction and evaluation of the materials. I will also be conducting qualitative observations in the neighborhoods where the produced materials have been placed to get an understanding of the context under which they are presented. It is my hope that this research provides data that will assist with developing effective and culturally appropriate HIV prevention & treatment materials within a service environment that is becoming increasingly scarce on monetary and human resources.