Pilot Awards Recipient: Maria De Jesus, PhD, MA

Black women continue to be disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S. While African immigrants comprise an increasingly large share of all immigrants in Washington, D.C., little HIV/AIDS research to date distinguishes between African American women and African immigrant women. The aims of the proposed study are to: (1) analyze HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions; the barriers and facilitators to testing; and HIV-related communication norms among East African immigrant and African American women in Washington, D.C.; (2) identify the similarities and differences between East African immigrant and African American women in their HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions; the barriers and facilitators to testing; and HIV-related communication norms; and (3) develop and evaluate a quantitative survey through cognitive interviewing to understand how East African and African American female respondents comprehend, judge, and respond to questions concerning HIV and HIV testing. The revised survey will be administered in the next phase of this research which will examine the impact of multi-level factors on HIV-related risk and testing behaviors among these subgroups of women.