Recent epidemiological results strongly suggest that a fourth epidemic of HIV infection is in process due to sex-for-drugs exchanges between adolescent crack users and intravenous drug users. A clear result of this new disease vector is that sexually active, economically disadvantaged adolescents are a new high risk group for being infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The long range objective of the proposed study is to reduce substantially the spread of HIV infection among African American adolescents. An exhaustive list of family background factors and questions about community norms will be combined with social psychological factors related to HIV risk taking sexual behaviors. The structural variables will be derived from all of the explanations of the varied socioeconomic conditions among Blacks. The social psychological variables will be derived from the AIDS Risk Reduction Model (ARRM) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). A random probability sample of 425 east Oakland (Oakland, California) households with adolescents between the ages of 15 and 18 will be stratified by current socioeconomic status. One parent (guardian) and adolescent will be interviewed separately by Minority Biomedical Research Support students trained in survey research and interviewing. The adolescent sample will be divided by those who engage in low HIV risk behaviors and those who engage in high HIV risk behaviors. Analysis will identify both social psychological and structural pre-conditions to high and low HIV risk taking behaviors. This new information will suggest innovative approaches for modifying risk behaviors for HIV infection, thereby reducing the spread of the disease among target populations.
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