The primary research focus of this project is to investigate condom use, drug use, and high risk (for HIV infection) behaviors among inner city low income African American and Hispanic adolescents and young adults. Data from a household probability sample of low income urban African American and Hispanic adolescents and young adults will be used to study relationships between alcohol and drug use and condom use behavior and beliefs. A Health Belief Model, expanded to include the concepts of norms, self efficacy, and health communication, as well as the Construct Accessibility Model provide much of the rationale for specific objectives and methods planned for this study. The study will evaluate: 1) frequency of injection of drugs and needle sharing, 2) perceptions of the effect of drug and alcohol use on sexual behavior and condom use, 3) relation between drug and alcohol use and high risk sexual behavior, 3) relation between type of partner, drug and alcohol use and high risk sexual behavior, 4) the effect of substance use on the predictive ability of the Health Belief Model, 5) the relation between accessibility of condom intentions and condom use when drugs are used, and 60 the combined effect of a) environmental factors (type of partner), b) individual factors, and c) substance use on high risk sexual practices. Statistical methods to be used include multiple regression, and LISREL modeling.
| Norris, A E; Ford, K (1999) Sexual experiences and condom use of heterosexual, low-income African American and Hispanic youth practicing relative monogamy, serial monogamy, and nonmonogamy. Sex Transm Dis 26:17-25 |
| Norris, A E; Ford, K; Shyr, Y et al. (1996) Heterosexual experiences and partnerships of urban, low-income African-American and Hispanic youth. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol 11:288-300 |
| Ford, K; Norris, A (1994) Urban minority youth: alcohol and marijuana use and exposure to unprotected intercourse. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 7:389-96 |
