The proposed doctoral dissertation research project seeks to explore the impact of sex for crack exchanges on the reproductive health and pregnancy outcomes of inner city poor black women. The social and emotional consequences of this behavior will be evaluated as well. Snowball sampling and social mapping will be used to recruit a sample of 50 poor black women of childbearing age who exchange sex for crack as a means to support the drug habit. Qualitative and quantitative data will be collected by interviewing the subjects with a semi-structured instrument. The results of the study will provide insight into the crack for sex phenomena from the participant's perspective. This insider view may aid in the development of treatment models and policy development targeting the unique circumstances of this demographic group. A 250-300 page monograph of publishable quality that provides accurate and carefully analyzed data on this subject is the proposed outcome product.
| Sharpe, T T (2001) Sex-for-crack-cocaine exchange, poor black women, and pregnancy. Qual Health Res 11:612-30 |
