Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #115017

Lisa M. Romero, MPH, DrPHc¹, Nina B. Wallerstein, DrPH², Heidi G. Fredine, MPH³, Julie Lucero, MPH⁴, Joanne Keefe, MPH², and JoAnne O’Connell, BS⁵. (1) School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 1682 Scenic Ave, #3, Berkeley, CA 94709, 510-644-3459, l_romero@uclink.berkeley.edu, (2) Masters in Public Health Program, University of New Mexico, 2400 Tucker NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131, (3) Center for Development and Disability, University of New Mexico, 2300 Menaul Boulevard, NE, Albuquerque, NM 87107, (4) Family and Community Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, 2400 Tucker NE #145, Albuquerque, NM 87131, (5) Planned Parenthood of New Mexico, 719 San Mateo NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108

Issues: HIV risk is the product of social, cultural, economic, and interpersonal forces that create sex-role definitions and expectations that can lead to gender inequalities in health. The relevance of empowerment to the primary prevention of HIV is particularly striking for women. Needs and vulnerabilities of women are often overlooked by HIV prevention programs that do not take into account that choice and actions may be constrained by poverty, gender roles, and cultural norms. Description: Woman to Woman: Coming Together for Positive Change is an HIV/AIDS prevention intervention that educates and empowers, promotes women's perspectives, reaches women “where they are”, and encourages women to speak of their experience. It incorporates listening for key issues and emotional concerns, promotes participatory dialogue, and encourages taking action. Empowerment strategies involve people in group efforts to identify their own problems, critically analyze the cultural and socioeconomic roots of the problems, and develop strategies to effect positive changes in their lives. As women evaluate their own risks and together reinforce awareness of their need for protection, they become creatively engaged in solving the problems of HIV/AIDS in their own lives. Over a 3-year period, the program was implemented to 300 at-risk women in rural and urban settings in New Mexico. Lessons Learned: Women increased their abilities to engage in empowerment cognitive domains of self- and collective-efficacy, perceived control, and sexual communication. Recommendations: Empowerment strategies are effective in HIV/AIDS interventions. It is practical for small non-profits with minimal budgets to conduct participatory process and outcome evaluation.

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