NCJ Number
199155
Journal
Public Health Reports Volume: 117 Issue: 1 Dated: 2002 Pages: S88-S95
Date Published
2002
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The author describes the Health Intervention Program, an intervention program for African-American women crack cocaine users.
Abstract
The author explains that racial disparities in the incidents of HIV infection and drug abuse continues to widen, with African-Americans comprising a full 54 percent of new HIV infections and 47 percent of new AIDS cases. The Health Intervention Program is based in Atlanta, GA, and is designed to reduce the risk of HIV infection by treating drug abuse problems among African-American women. Previous research has shown that for intervention programs to be successful they must be “feasible, acceptable, and efficacious.” As such, programs designed specifically for African-American females must address the salient issues of this group, namely issues such as ethnic identity and self-esteem. The Health Intervention Program utilized a formative research phase involving in-depth interviews with women crack cocaine users to uncover the main themes and patterns contributing to their drug use. This research phase was followed by two interventions: motivational intervention and negotiation intervention. The motivational intervention helped women form realistic goals while the negotiation intervention focused on communication skills. The lesson learned from this Health Intervention Program is that intervention programs must be holistic in nature, addressing the many motivations and cultural patterns that lead women to drug abuse. References