The proposed research will advance scientific knowledge about health information dissemination and the design of appropriate social media tools for the African American female college student community. The goal of this project is to broaden access to and utilization of HIV prevention information, thereby strengthening African American organization and individual capacity to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in these communities. The project will achieve this goal the following aims: 1) Describe the ways in which African American female college students construct their cultural/racial identities; 2) Identify the relationship between these identities and the use of smart health information technology and social networking systems by the target user group.
The research project will provide empirical evidence on the design and implementation of HIV/AIDS preventive education, as well as the culturally-specific challenges related to the use of Information Computer Technology (ICT) for HIV/AIDS preventive education. It will contribute to understanding how social networks targeting African American female college students for HIV/AIDS prevention are received by the target community and how to improve the design of such tools for optimal effectiveness. This research will have very far-reaching implications for science and health education within and beyond the target research study community. These intellectual contributions will be of interest to scholars in communication and information studies, software engineering, pervasive mobile devices, and smart health information systems and trustworthy computing.
The project will engage college students in the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority as both users and participatory designers of social media tools intended to disseminate HIV information. The National Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, an organization with national and international programs for outreach and networking African American women in institutes of higher education, will offer a mechanism to reach additional college students beyond the physical locale of North Carolina State University - thereby providing a network penetration to other North Carolina chapters and beyond for future direction and interdisciplinary, inter-institutional collaborations. More specifically, this research is to broaden access to and utilization of HIV prevention information, thereby strengthening African American organization and individual capacity to address the epidemic in these communities using innovative smart health information technologies.
The lack of culturally compelling prevention information is one of several factors that contribute to the spread of HIV infections among Black women. To address this information gap, this project developed a "proof of concept" website and related social media channels to disseminate HIV prevention content that is tailored for Black women. Twenty five Black female undergraduate students met with researchers to discuss HIV prevention information needs, technology use, and black women's collegiate culture. These students also gave iterative feedback on the website during the design and development process. The results of these discussions were systematically analyzed and used to inform the design of the My Health Impact Network (www.myhealthimpactnetwork.org). The researchers are now studying how the network evolves as these collegiate women engage with the information and communication resources. For example, the women have request that the website broaden from HIV prevention to general health and wellness for Black women. In response, the website now features a monthly focus such as mental health or sexual health . Intellectual Merit: The specific aims of this project are to advance knowledge of the relationship between ethnicity and gender, and the seeking and utilization of online HIV prevention information. In addition, the project uses a social network approach to improve online access to tailored HIV prevention information such as free and low-cost HIV testing facilities, and practical advice for stigma reduction and sexual assertiveness. Broader Impact: While much of the prior research on HIV prevention focuses on "at-risk" Black women in economically challenged urban communities, our study focuses on Black female college students with unique information needs. We also examine social media and web-based information resources rather than traditional information sources because these digital information channels are used heavily by our population. Moreover, these digital information channels support quick and broad information sharing. Women and minority students were recruited to assist on the project. They learned research methods, developed software and content to support the website and social media channels, and presented their research results at scholarly meetings. Thus, college students play a critical role in how the website is structured and designed, and in the ongoing operation of the social media channels.
