African American Women and Hiv Risk : Exploring the Effects of Gender and Social Dynamics on Behavior

African American women and men continue to be disproportionately infected with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that is a precursor to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (CDC, 2000; 1998). Although African Americans represent only 12% of the U.S. population, they comprise 37% of the total AIDS cases in the U.S. (CDC, 2000). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2000), women are increasingly becoming infected with HIV, accounting for 28% of HIV infection cases. Alarmingly, African American women and adolescents are particularly at risk, accounting for 68% of women infected with HIV through June 2000. The annual AIDS case rates for African American women are 16 times that of White women (National Center for Health Statistics, 1997). The two largest exposure categories for women are heterosexual contact followed by injection drug use.