In this study we propose to assess HIV knowledge and risk behaviors among 800 deaf adolescents attending deaf high schools. These adolescents, who are profoundly or severely deaf, are an understudied group that lack access to sources of HIV information (print and sound media) readily available to the general adolescent population. In addition to lacking basic knowledge about HIV, they often do not perceive themselves to be at risk for the disease. There is also evidence that their behavioral risk of HIV infection may be greater than that of hearing adolescents. Methods will include (1) development of a survey with items in the following domains: socio-demographic characteristics (including deaf versus hearing parentage and parental signing ability), psychological characteristics (including self esteem and general risk taking), attitudes towards those who have AIDS or HIV, and HIV risk behaviors (including sexual risk and drug use); (2) review by an expert panel and deaf adolescent focus groups; (3) translation into American Sign Language using a cross cultural translation team approach; (4) videotaping and transferring onto laptop computer; (5) survey administration at high schools for the deaf in 4 regions of the US; (6) analysis of data using multiple regression and latent class analysis. The proposed study would be the first to survey deaf adolescents from deaf high schools in their most common language, American Sign Language. This is critical because the English literacy levels among graduates of deaf high schools are between the third and fifth grade. The proposed survey of HIV knowledge and risk behavior will be self-administered in American Sign Language on laptop computer to 800 deaf adolescents who attend 11 high schools for the deaf. The results will fill an important gap in the literature regarding knowledge and risk behaviors among this at-risk group of adolescents.
| Goldstein, Marjorie F; Eckhardt, Elizabeth A; Joyner-Creamer, Patrice et al. (2010) What do deaf high school students know about HIV? AIDS Educ Prev 22:523-37 |
