Given the racial/ethnic disparities that characterize STI trends and recent increases in heterosexually transmitted HIV infection in the US, an understanding of factors underlying condom use among young adults in minority communities is vitally important. To this end, this paper presents findings from a community venue-based survey examining the influence of motivations, heuristics, and relationship factors on condom behaviors with serious and casual heterosexual partners in a sample of urban African American and Puerto Rican males and females ages 18-25 (n = 380). Condom use rates at time of last sex were considerably higher with casual partners (n = 87) than with serious (n = 313) partners, 77.9% vs. 38.7%. While dual pregnancy/STI prevention was the most frequently cited reason for use at last sex with casual partners, pregnancy prevention was the most frequently cited reason for use with serious partners. Bivariate conditional logistic regression analyses found two factors to be associated with condom use at last sex with casual partners: use at first sex with the partner and belief that neighborhood peers worried some/a lot about HIV. In contrast, such factors as condom heuristics (e.g., nonuse symbolizes trust), contraceptive status, and markers of emotional intimacy were associated with condom use with serious partners in both bivariate and multivariable analyses.
Obesity remains a prevalent public health epidemic, and African American (AA) adults are disproportionately affected by obesity more than any other ethnic group, particularly in the Southern region of the United States. Addressing poor dietary habits is important for improving obesity rates among AAs, but there has been limited research that has focused on specifically developing culturally tailored interventions. With a recent number of soul food restaurants serving exclusively vegan meals opening up across the country to appeal to AAs and others interested in eating healthier soul foods, there is a unique opportunity to explore how these restaurants might impact AA dietary habits. The purpose of this study was to assess how owners of vegan soul food restaurants located in states within the Black Belt region view their roles as promoters of health in their community and to identify strategies that they use to make plant-based diets (PBDs) more culturally appealing in the AA community. In-depth interviews were conducted with owners ( N = 12) of vegan soul food restaurants from seven states. Five themes emerged from the interviews related to (a) the restaurants providing access to vegan meals, (b) restaurant owners educating their customers about vegan diets and healthy eating, (c) using fresh ingredients to make vegan soul foods taste good, (d) addressing limited cooking skills among AAs, and (e) discussing nonhealth reasons to become vegan. The findings indicate there may be future opportunities for health educators to partner with these restaurant owners to improve healthy eating among AAs.
Food insecurity is highly detrimental for children, who experience food insecurity differently than do adults. We aimed to understand concordance and discordance of adults' and children's knowledge, understanding, and description of children's experience of food insecurity. In-depth interviews were conducted with the primary caregiver, another caregiver, and a child 9 to 16 years of age in 16 Hispanic families at risk of food insecurity in South Carolina. Adults often lacked knowledge of the food insecurity experiences of their children, which presents challenges for adults with roles as caregivers, educators, or policy makers to recognize and address these experiences.
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