Using Focus Groups to Create Culturally Appropriate HIV Prevention Material for the Deaf Community

Abstract

The Washington, DC Department of Health and the HIV/AIDS Administration in collaboration with Deaf-REACH, a Washington, DC community service center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HOH) individuals, sponsored a qualitative research study to develop HIV and AIDS prevention materials specifically targeted for the deaf and HOH community. This article describes the process of creating a prevention poster and condom card targeted for Deaf and HOH individuals who use American Sign Language. This study utilized a series of five focus groups with members of the deaf community. The focus groups targeted three areas: (1) assessment of needs; (2) designs for prevention materials in terms of language appropriateness, graphics, and cultural relevance; and, (3) final choice of design and evaluation of language, graphics, and cultural relevance. Results of the initial focus groups indicated that there was a lack of general knowledge about HIV and a lack of culturally specific prevention and education materials, especially for subgroups within the deaf community. In the second phase, group members provided suggestions for character placement, setting, and cultural cues for prevention materials. Finally, an HIV prevention poster and brochure were chosen, produced, and disseminated at places deaf individuals frequent. Practitioners who provide HIV services to the deaf community must be aware that traditional methods of educating and outreach to members used in the hearing community may not be effective in the deaf community. Consideration should be given to the unique cultural and linguistic needs of the deaf community.

Parent–Child Communication: A Model for Hispanics on HIV Prevention

“…Accordingly, with the comprehension and application of this cultural characteristic, HIV prevention programs based on parent-child communication about sex should help create a natural environment for the groups involved (Villarruel et al, 2003). One technique used for creating an appropriate environment is focus groups (Crowe, 2003). Separate focus groups of parents and adolescents permit the promotion of intimate, respectful, and interpersonal relationships.…”

“…The Hispanic community, as a minority group, has many social needs (VanOss, 2003). For example, marginalization, racism, poverty, and lower levels of education are problems in the Hispanic population that should be taken into consideration (Crowe, 2003). Thus, the facilitator can create groups that allow a free expression of opinions and ideas to better facilitate dialogue about their concerns and to formulate possible solutions.…”

Dementia and the Deaf community: knowledge and service access

“…Therefore, a means of data collection was required that would enable priorities to emerge and preferred ways of explaining and understanding issues to be naturally generated. We used focus groups because this is a means of data collection that is recognised as culturally appropriate within Deaf communities (Young et al, 2013, submitted;Young & Temple, 2014) and has been successfully used previously (Bisol, Sperb, & Moreno-Black, 2008;Crowe, 2003;Emery, 2011).…”

Hearing Consumer Voices: Planning HIV/Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention in Alcohol Detoxification

“…A lack of knowledge about issues surrounding transmission of HIV and STIs, identification of symptoms, access to testing, and similar notions has been amply documented in many prior studies targeting a variety of populations, including adolescents and young adults (Tilson et al, 2004), culturally diverse men (Essien et al, 2005), individuals in the deaf community (Crowe, 2003), Latina women (Acosta-Perez & Peragallo, 2001), and other diverse groups (Connell et al, 2004). All of these studies, along with the current study, document that lack of knowledge about STIs and related testing and treatment services is a strong impediment to STI and HIV prevention, testing, and treatment.…”

“…Recent qualitative work has demonstrated the importance and utility of asking target-group stakeholders to identify the components of an HIV/STI prevention program that are relevant and salient to them (e.g., Sivaram et al, 2004;Spielberg, Kurth, Gorbach, and Goldbaum, 2001;Tilson et al, 2004). This is particularly true for ethnically diverse target groups that require culturally relevant and sensitive prevention intervention (e.g., Connell, McKevitt, and Low, 2003;Crowe, 2003;Essien et al, 2005;Murdaugh, Russell, and Sowell, 2000;Rose, 2004). The current article presents the results from listening to the voices of individuals with chronic alcohol abuse and dependence, capturing their thoughts and ideas about the important features of an HIV/STI prevention program targeting individuals in need of alcohol detoxification.…”