St. Paul, Minn. — A new study by the University of Minnesota shows that kids who believe they are going to die young often engage in the very behavior that can lead to an early death.
That runs counter to the conventional belief that teens take risks because they see themselves as invincible.
The study says 15 percent of adolescents believe it's highly likely that they will die before age 35.
"That's more than one in seven youth in this country who look into the future, and don't see a long and winding road ahead of them," said Dr. Iris Borowsky, lead author of the U of M study.
She and her colleagues looked at survey responses from more than 20,000 youth who have been tracked since 1995 through the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.
It is a nationally representative sample of students from grades seven through 12. They were first interviewed in 1995, then again in 1996 and in 2001-2002.
The data showed that adolescents who thought they had a good chance of dying earlier often engaged in the very behavior that can lead to death. They had a higher incidence of illegal drug use, suicide attempts, unprotected sex, fight-related injuries, arrests, and diagnosis of HIV or AIDS.
Borowsky says the findings reveal the vulnerability that some kids feel -- a concept that runs counter to conventional wisdom about teens.
"Historically it's been thought that teens think they are invincible, they're invulnerable. And that this feeling of personal invulnerability has been thought to play a key role in why teens engage in risky behaviors," she said.
But the survey results showed the opposite might be occurring.
"This data says that hey, maybe adolescents are taking risks because they actually feel quite vulnerable to dying early," said Borowsky. "So it really is contrary to conventional wisdom."
The perceptions about premature death were especially prevalent among youth of color and those living in poverty.
Shane Price is a community organizer in Minneapolis who works with troubled youth. He says the report's findings mirror much of what he's seen over the years in his community.
But Price says he's not hearing as much hopelessness as he once did. He says President Obama's election as the nation's first African-American president has inspired many young blacks.
"I feel this spirit of activism, this spirit of momentum in the children. And that is what I think is changing," said Price. "And that is what I think comes against some of the findings in this report, in a good way."
On the east side of St. Paul, Mitch Roldan is watching a different story unfold. Roldan is a gang prevention coordinator.
"I have seen in the African-American community, kind of a sense of hope. I would say in the Latino community it would almost be the opposite of that," said Roldan. "With the increasing anti-immigrant sentiment that there is, just more and more kids just kind of feel like they're without hope."
Roldan says when he asks at-risk teens in his community what they hope to do with their lives, more often than not he's told that they don't have any specific goals. He says that's practically unheard of among their peers elsewhere, who typically have plans for college or work.
But that doesn't mean these teens can't change the way they see their future. Researcher Iris Borowsky says there is a growing body of research that shows the benefit of creating hope among kids.
Borowsky is a pediatrician, and she says she now realizes she should ask kids more questions, and reassure them that the odds are in their favor. "What do you think the future holds for you? Do you want to go to college? What do you want to do when you grow up? How long do you think you're going to live? Do you think you're going to die early? Those are questions as that as a health care professional I need to consider asking," she said.
They are also questions Borowsky says all adults should be asking the children in their lives.
The University of Minnesota study on teen mortality perceptions is published in the latest issue of the journal Pediatrics.
by Lorna Benson, Minnesota Public Radio
June 29, 2009
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/06/26/teendeaths/
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Young, HIV-Positive, and Unaware Many Teens and Young Adults With HIV Don’t Know They Have the Disease, CDC Says
June 26, 2009 -- About 50,000 adolescents and young adults aged 13 to 24 were living with the virus that causes AIDS in 2006, but nearly half of them didn't know they were HIV infected, according to the CDC.
The CDC says in its June 26 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that young adults represented 4.4% of the 1.1 million people living with the human immunodeficiency virus in 2006.
That would amount to 48,400 young people with HIV.
The CDC says that 232,700 people in the U.S. were living with HIV that year and didn't know it. Adolescents and young adults represented 9.9% of that number, or some 23,000 youths.
Early diagnosis of HIV infection is critical because detection speeds up medical intervention and informs people with the virus to reduce high-risk behaviors that could spread infections, the CDC says.
The CDC says it used adolescent data from the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
The results indicated that nationwide 12.9% of all high school students had been tested for HIV at some point in their lives.
The prevalence rate of HIV testing increased with grade and age.
Prevalence of HIV testing decreased with older age of first sexual intercourse experience, the report says.
Among female students, 14.8% had been tested for HIV, compared to 11.1% of males. The prevalence rate also was higher among non-Hispanic black students at 22.4% than for non-Hispanic whites at 10.7%.
The CDC recommends routine HIV screening for all people 13-64 years old to decrease the number of undiagnosed infections and the spread of new infections.
"HIV testing among sexually active adolescents is an important strategy to reduce the incidence of HIV infection," the CDC says. "Because adolescents might be sexually active but unwilling to discuss this information, health care providers should provide HIV screening routinely to all patients aged 13 and older."
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey estimates the prevalence of health risk behaviors among high school students. The 2007 national survey examined data from more than 14,000 anonymous questionnaires completed by public and private high school students in the 50 states and Washington, D.C.
By Bill Hendrick
WebMD Health News
http://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/news/20090626/young-hiv-positive-and-unaware
The CDC says in its June 26 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that young adults represented 4.4% of the 1.1 million people living with the human immunodeficiency virus in 2006.
That would amount to 48,400 young people with HIV.
The CDC says that 232,700 people in the U.S. were living with HIV that year and didn't know it. Adolescents and young adults represented 9.9% of that number, or some 23,000 youths.
Early diagnosis of HIV infection is critical because detection speeds up medical intervention and informs people with the virus to reduce high-risk behaviors that could spread infections, the CDC says.
The CDC says it used adolescent data from the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
The results indicated that nationwide 12.9% of all high school students had been tested for HIV at some point in their lives.
The prevalence rate of HIV testing increased with grade and age.
Prevalence of HIV testing decreased with older age of first sexual intercourse experience, the report says.
Among female students, 14.8% had been tested for HIV, compared to 11.1% of males. The prevalence rate also was higher among non-Hispanic black students at 22.4% than for non-Hispanic whites at 10.7%.
The CDC recommends routine HIV screening for all people 13-64 years old to decrease the number of undiagnosed infections and the spread of new infections.
"HIV testing among sexually active adolescents is an important strategy to reduce the incidence of HIV infection," the CDC says. "Because adolescents might be sexually active but unwilling to discuss this information, health care providers should provide HIV screening routinely to all patients aged 13 and older."
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey estimates the prevalence of health risk behaviors among high school students. The 2007 national survey examined data from more than 14,000 anonymous questionnaires completed by public and private high school students in the 50 states and Washington, D.C.
By Bill Hendrick
WebMD Health News
http://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/news/20090626/young-hiv-positive-and-unaware
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Beyond the Odds Bloggers
Meet the youth writers for Beyond the ODDS. Soon, you'll be able to read their blog posts at Beyond the Odds.org. Launch date is set for June 25th, 2009!!!
Originally from Habana Cuba, Jojo Napoles is an amazing 24 years-old, based in Berkeley, California. His writings focus on HIV, drugs, and some other random stuff. Jojo is a graduate of Miami Senior High School in Florida. His loves include aviation, video games, movies and cool people. He was diagnosed with having AIDS in April 2006.
A West Oakland native, B-LADY is a 22 year-old African American mother of 3 beautiful children. She was diagnosed with having HIV in 2006. She's extremely optimistic and focused on living her life to the fullest. Her writings focus on the realities of HIV, motherhood, and youth culture.
Casey B is a 24 year-old, San Francisco based blogger. His current focus includes re-entering college and living life to the fullest. His writings focus on HIV, and youth culture. His work has been published by YO Outlook. He was diagnosed with having HIV in 2008.
John Ramirez is an optimistic 24 year-old from Oakland California. John is a staff writer for Beyond the Odds. He was diagnosed with having HIV in December of 2008.
Originally from Habana Cuba, Jojo Napoles is an amazing 24 years-old, based in Berkeley, California. His writings focus on HIV, drugs, and some other random stuff. Jojo is a graduate of Miami Senior High School in Florida. His loves include aviation, video games, movies and cool people. He was diagnosed with having AIDS in April 2006.
A West Oakland native, B-LADY is a 22 year-old African American mother of 3 beautiful children. She was diagnosed with having HIV in 2006. She's extremely optimistic and focused on living her life to the fullest. Her writings focus on the realities of HIV, motherhood, and youth culture.
Casey B is a 24 year-old, San Francisco based blogger. His current focus includes re-entering college and living life to the fullest. His writings focus on HIV, and youth culture. His work has been published by YO Outlook. He was diagnosed with having HIV in 2008.
John Ramirez is an optimistic 24 year-old from Oakland California. John is a staff writer for Beyond the Odds. He was diagnosed with having HIV in December of 2008.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
It's Time to Get Real-sponsible about HIV/AIDS
About 4 years ago, a close friend of mine told me that he contracted HIV. I still remember sitting on the couch, staring into his face as tears poured from both our eyes. Immediately, I was forcibly shocked into dealing with the “HIV reality” a subject matter I felt absolved from ever having to deal with directly. Sure, I had the occasional HIV test, but there wasn't a reason to be really concerned about my status. Well, there was this one time when I knew my “monogamously challenged” boyfriend was dipping out on me. We hadn't always practiced safe sex. So that probably was the only time, I was truly concerned about the possibility of contracting HIV.
Sadly, it wasn't till my close friend notified me of his status that I found myself becoming more knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS and its impact on the African American. I was alarmed to discover that AIDS has quietly become one the leading causes of death for Blacks and Latinos in the United States. And although, it is an epidemic in our communities, we have yet to fully commit ourselves to aggressively addressing the epidemic...maybe due to HIV/AIDS fatigue or lack of leadership? I'm not sure but what I do know is that we can't wait any longer because AIDS is killing us. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, African Americans make up approximately 13% of the US population, but in 2005 they accounted for 49% percent of the estimated number of HIV/AIDS cases diagnosed.
I was completely shocked and outraged? Are you?
Among youth, while only 15% of teens (ages 13-19) are African American, they accounted for 73% of the new AIDS cases reported in 2004. Comparably shocking HIV and AIDS is the leading cause of death for African American women between the ages of 25 and 34.
http://www.cdc.gov/
Where's Black leadership on this issue? Where's the Black Church?
The failure of African American leadership to address the AIDS epidemic which disproportionately impacts African people more than any other ethnic group in the United States is a moral travesty and socially irresponsible. Is it enough to be outraged only by the United States government's delayed response to a national health epidemic but not our own so-called leadership?
Do you mean to tell me that African American leadership is more willing to challenge our society's use of the “N” and not the HIV and AIDS epidemic? I'm sorry there are no passes being handed out today, tonight and whenever! The “N” word “AIN'T” killing people nor is it creating a biological underclass of individuals dependent upon anti-viral medication for the duration of their life on earth. Come on now.
Frankly, “our” leaderships inability to address homophobia, sexual safety, and patriarchy is a primary reason AIDS continues to impact Black folks disproportionately. Long standing homophobic attitudes in the Black community and church prohibit Black folks from getting “real”-sponsible about AIDS. It's time to be honest with ourselves and our partners about our sexual choices and preferences. Promiscuous and/or bisexual Black men are not addressing how they have contributed to the way this disease is impacting Black women and devastating our community. Where's the love brothas? Black women deal with enough. Don't get me wrong, I'm mature enough to handle if a man I was dating informed me that he was bisexual or curious. Actually, I'd welcome the conversation without becoming judgmental or abruptly ending our relationship out of fear of having to compete with another man. I'd prefer for us to be honest with one another and discuss the importance of practicing sexual safety at all times for the sake of both of us.
As the epidemic continues to grow while religious forces of all color ignore AIDS and the federal government continues to champions abstinence to no avail, people are slowly dying. Black women being the most at risk group, the fact that AIDS is impacting Black women more than any other group might be one more reason, Black leadership is invisible when it comes to addressing the AIDS epidemic. There's no doubt that African American religious and political leadership is concerned about the problem of AIDS, it's the action of not doing something about it that I have the most problem with.
According to the The Kaiser Family Foundation Survey of African Americans on HIV/AIDS about half of African Americans say local schools (49%) and churches or religious leaders (54%) care 'a lot' about the problem of AIDS; by comparison, only a quarter say either actually do “a lot” (28% and 23%, respectively). The government gets lower marks: fewer African Americans say the government at any level -- local (17%), state (20%), or federal (22%) -- cares 'a lot' about AIDS; almost the same percentages as say government does 'a lot' in the fight against the disease (local: 14%; state: 17%; federal: 18%).
Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute and Chairman of the Department of Afro-American Studies at Harvard University, suggested in an interview, “ a need for more leadership within the African American community - especially from ministers and other church leaders, medical professionals, and educators to talk about an epidemic which is sixteen times more likely to strike its women and six times more likely to strike its men." Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. also asked "Why is it that we are motivated to fight racism in the workplace and the civic square, but are not equally motivated to save the lives of our brothers and sisters from this horrible disease?"
For the first time since the detection of the HIV, women account for approximately half of those affected worldwide. Today AIDS is the leading cause of death in African American women aged 25-34 and the third leading cause of death in African American men in the same age group. More than 64 percent of HIV positive infants are African American, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Driven by gender power inequities rooted in a complex design of cultural, socio-economics and politics, the feminization of HIV and AIDS has hit African American women in the United States extremely hard. Our bodies and stories are being violated and forgotten simultaneously in the face of AIDS. There has been a call for us as Black women, Black people to demand an aggressive culturally sensitive approach from the U.S. government in addressing the epidemic now. An equally aggressive approach that would rival our governments attempts in the early 80's, when it was viewed as predominately impacting white males. Hillary Clinton once stated while on the presidential election campaign of 2007, “If HIV-AIDS were the leading cause of death of white women between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-four, there would be an outraged outcry in this country.” Black women must begin to consistently initiate dialogue about our sexuality in a manner that challenges patriarchy and racism in America. We must first educate ourselves then our men, our daughters, and our sons. If we do the math the numbers don't lie, and our silence has allowed this disease to take a toll on our health and spirits. My mother always says, “a closed mouth is never fed.” Now is the time for action.
Okay, so I know it's a lot. Remember, I said it all started from a friend telling me they were HIV positive. It really turned my world up-side-down. So here I am, wanting to not only to inform myself but our entire community. It is what it is and if we don't address AIDS now our tomorrow might not be the change we hoped for. What do you think?
Sadly, it wasn't till my close friend notified me of his status that I found myself becoming more knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS and its impact on the African American. I was alarmed to discover that AIDS has quietly become one the leading causes of death for Blacks and Latinos in the United States. And although, it is an epidemic in our communities, we have yet to fully commit ourselves to aggressively addressing the epidemic...maybe due to HIV/AIDS fatigue or lack of leadership? I'm not sure but what I do know is that we can't wait any longer because AIDS is killing us. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, African Americans make up approximately 13% of the US population, but in 2005 they accounted for 49% percent of the estimated number of HIV/AIDS cases diagnosed.
I was completely shocked and outraged? Are you?
Among youth, while only 15% of teens (ages 13-19) are African American, they accounted for 73% of the new AIDS cases reported in 2004. Comparably shocking HIV and AIDS is the leading cause of death for African American women between the ages of 25 and 34.
http://www.cdc.gov/
Where's Black leadership on this issue? Where's the Black Church?
The failure of African American leadership to address the AIDS epidemic which disproportionately impacts African people more than any other ethnic group in the United States is a moral travesty and socially irresponsible. Is it enough to be outraged only by the United States government's delayed response to a national health epidemic but not our own so-called leadership?
Do you mean to tell me that African American leadership is more willing to challenge our society's use of the “N” and not the HIV and AIDS epidemic? I'm sorry there are no passes being handed out today, tonight and whenever! The “N” word “AIN'T” killing people nor is it creating a biological underclass of individuals dependent upon anti-viral medication for the duration of their life on earth. Come on now.
Frankly, “our” leaderships inability to address homophobia, sexual safety, and patriarchy is a primary reason AIDS continues to impact Black folks disproportionately. Long standing homophobic attitudes in the Black community and church prohibit Black folks from getting “real”-sponsible about AIDS. It's time to be honest with ourselves and our partners about our sexual choices and preferences. Promiscuous and/or bisexual Black men are not addressing how they have contributed to the way this disease is impacting Black women and devastating our community. Where's the love brothas? Black women deal with enough. Don't get me wrong, I'm mature enough to handle if a man I was dating informed me that he was bisexual or curious. Actually, I'd welcome the conversation without becoming judgmental or abruptly ending our relationship out of fear of having to compete with another man. I'd prefer for us to be honest with one another and discuss the importance of practicing sexual safety at all times for the sake of both of us.
As the epidemic continues to grow while religious forces of all color ignore AIDS and the federal government continues to champions abstinence to no avail, people are slowly dying. Black women being the most at risk group, the fact that AIDS is impacting Black women more than any other group might be one more reason, Black leadership is invisible when it comes to addressing the AIDS epidemic. There's no doubt that African American religious and political leadership is concerned about the problem of AIDS, it's the action of not doing something about it that I have the most problem with.
According to the The Kaiser Family Foundation Survey of African Americans on HIV/AIDS about half of African Americans say local schools (49%) and churches or religious leaders (54%) care 'a lot' about the problem of AIDS; by comparison, only a quarter say either actually do “a lot” (28% and 23%, respectively). The government gets lower marks: fewer African Americans say the government at any level -- local (17%), state (20%), or federal (22%) -- cares 'a lot' about AIDS; almost the same percentages as say government does 'a lot' in the fight against the disease (local: 14%; state: 17%; federal: 18%).
Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute and Chairman of the Department of Afro-American Studies at Harvard University, suggested in an interview, “ a need for more leadership within the African American community - especially from ministers and other church leaders, medical professionals, and educators to talk about an epidemic which is sixteen times more likely to strike its women and six times more likely to strike its men." Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. also asked "Why is it that we are motivated to fight racism in the workplace and the civic square, but are not equally motivated to save the lives of our brothers and sisters from this horrible disease?"
For the first time since the detection of the HIV, women account for approximately half of those affected worldwide. Today AIDS is the leading cause of death in African American women aged 25-34 and the third leading cause of death in African American men in the same age group. More than 64 percent of HIV positive infants are African American, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Driven by gender power inequities rooted in a complex design of cultural, socio-economics and politics, the feminization of HIV and AIDS has hit African American women in the United States extremely hard. Our bodies and stories are being violated and forgotten simultaneously in the face of AIDS. There has been a call for us as Black women, Black people to demand an aggressive culturally sensitive approach from the U.S. government in addressing the epidemic now. An equally aggressive approach that would rival our governments attempts in the early 80's, when it was viewed as predominately impacting white males. Hillary Clinton once stated while on the presidential election campaign of 2007, “If HIV-AIDS were the leading cause of death of white women between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-four, there would be an outraged outcry in this country.” Black women must begin to consistently initiate dialogue about our sexuality in a manner that challenges patriarchy and racism in America. We must first educate ourselves then our men, our daughters, and our sons. If we do the math the numbers don't lie, and our silence has allowed this disease to take a toll on our health and spirits. My mother always says, “a closed mouth is never fed.” Now is the time for action.
Okay, so I know it's a lot. Remember, I said it all started from a friend telling me they were HIV positive. It really turned my world up-side-down. So here I am, wanting to not only to inform myself but our entire community. It is what it is and if we don't address AIDS now our tomorrow might not be the change we hoped for. What do you think?
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Opening My Eyes
Before I started working with Beyond The Odds, AIDS was not anything more than a fleeting thought. I have had unsafe and unprotected sex with a number of partners and did not worry about possible repercussions to my health. I always trusted my judgment, and instinct, even when intoxicated. I have been in a committed relationship for over two years now and still have never been tested for any sexually transmitted diseases.
The stories and presence of my peers who are the journalists for Beyond The Odds have greatly opened my eyes. Simply listening and being at the workshops has been, at times, heavy, but I am always reminded of the strength this group of individuals embodies. The conversations we have had are not something I would experience anywhere else. This makes me realize that these types of conversations should be more commonplace. I believe that part of why the discussion around HIV and youth is limited is because people do not know how to talk about it; be it people with skewed assumptions about the disease or people who are living with it and are uncomfortable talking about AIDS with people who are not HIV positive.
One thing that we have discussed at the workshops is a comparison between the new health epidemic, the oh so-scary Swine Flu, and the seemingly invisible threat of AIDS. With around 100 known cases, people are paranoid about traveling, being in contained spaces and some are even wearing facemasks. But the idea of AIDS is just too huge for most people to fathom. "More than five young people worldwide contract HIV every minute -- that's 7,000 people each day, and more than 2.6 million each year. Half of all new HIV infections occur in young people ages 15-24, with one-third of all currently infected individuals in this age group1. " With a shocking fact like that people are still not wearing condoms. I can say for myself that while the facts are overwhelming, it has had zero effect compared to the handful of hours I have spent thus far with a group of my peers who are all HIV- positive and pull no punches in being themselves.
I believe that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and I know that needs to start with me. “A 1992 study of HIV-infected youth conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health revealed that one-third of all adolescents who had been diagnosed with HIV had discovered their illness accidentally, through mandatory testing at the Job Corps, the military, or plasma centers. The other two- thirds learned of their illness through emergency rooms and acute-care settings. These youth were already sick by the time of their diagnosis2.” Therefore, starting today, my choices and decisions to get protected, get tested and get informed will be a top priority not just for myself but also for my partners.
This blog was written by a Beyond the Odds staff member for Beyond the Odds 2009. Beyond the Odds is a project designed to illuminate the perspectives of young people 18-24 living with HIV and AIDS. Beyond the Odds.org set to launch late June, 2009.
1 Advocates for Youth, March 15, 2001
2 http://www.thebody.com/content/art32384.html
The stories and presence of my peers who are the journalists for Beyond The Odds have greatly opened my eyes. Simply listening and being at the workshops has been, at times, heavy, but I am always reminded of the strength this group of individuals embodies. The conversations we have had are not something I would experience anywhere else. This makes me realize that these types of conversations should be more commonplace. I believe that part of why the discussion around HIV and youth is limited is because people do not know how to talk about it; be it people with skewed assumptions about the disease or people who are living with it and are uncomfortable talking about AIDS with people who are not HIV positive.
One thing that we have discussed at the workshops is a comparison between the new health epidemic, the oh so-scary Swine Flu, and the seemingly invisible threat of AIDS. With around 100 known cases, people are paranoid about traveling, being in contained spaces and some are even wearing facemasks. But the idea of AIDS is just too huge for most people to fathom. "More than five young people worldwide contract HIV every minute -- that's 7,000 people each day, and more than 2.6 million each year. Half of all new HIV infections occur in young people ages 15-24, with one-third of all currently infected individuals in this age group1. " With a shocking fact like that people are still not wearing condoms. I can say for myself that while the facts are overwhelming, it has had zero effect compared to the handful of hours I have spent thus far with a group of my peers who are all HIV- positive and pull no punches in being themselves.
I believe that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and I know that needs to start with me. “A 1992 study of HIV-infected youth conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health revealed that one-third of all adolescents who had been diagnosed with HIV had discovered their illness accidentally, through mandatory testing at the Job Corps, the military, or plasma centers. The other two- thirds learned of their illness through emergency rooms and acute-care settings. These youth were already sick by the time of their diagnosis2.” Therefore, starting today, my choices and decisions to get protected, get tested and get informed will be a top priority not just for myself but also for my partners.
This blog was written by a Beyond the Odds staff member for Beyond the Odds 2009. Beyond the Odds is a project designed to illuminate the perspectives of young people 18-24 living with HIV and AIDS. Beyond the Odds.org set to launch late June, 2009.
1 Advocates for Youth, March 15, 2001
2 http://www.thebody.com/content/art32384.html
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Lack of Minority faces in Safe Sex Ads by Condom Manufacturers
Each year two major condom manufacturing companies Trojan and Durex emphasizes the importance of safer sex through elaborate commercials geared towards Americans purchasing their products. While their efforts to have Americans practice safe sex should be applauded, the lack of African American and Latino representation should raise a red flag from minority consumers.
African Americans and Latinos are sexual beings who should be interested in (or targeted for) practicing sexual safety. And the fact that Black and Brown communities are at a greater risk for contracting HIV, shouldn't we be prioritized in the marketing strategy? If not prioritized, these communities should at the least be included. Yes, I know that's an optimistic thought. But look, they owe us that much considering all the Magnum references made in hip-hop songs, lol. Bottom line, these companies know we're purchasing their products and to not include us is unacceptable and highly questionable.
How many times have you sat at home and stumbled across a condom commercial? Did you ever feel compelled to use a condom based on the “European” individuals in the ad? Did the condom ad properly present the way you experience sexual pleasures as a person of color? There's a direct disconnection with American safe sex ads and American sexual behaviors. Americans are too conservative! Therefore a lot of these ads are restricted in the way they promote safe sex....their entire approach is outdated, sexist, oppressive, homophobic, and borderline racist crap.
Recently, I did a little web research looking for ads that spoke directly to me as a Black woman needless to say most of the ads featured young white folks in the stereotypical sexist fashion. However there were a few ads that featured African American narrators, there's the ad with the overweight Black guy playing the role of Condom Fairy, or the ad that looks like a scene from a hip-hop video. This did nothing for me personally...I'm looking to be spoken to not at.
Then I stumbled upon a Trust condom ad from Kenya. The ad featuring an all African cast of characters suggestively hinting at the importance of using condoms. One (Trust) ad presented a heterosexual presentation of Black love and the importance of safe sex. The other (extremely entertaining) ad suggested the correct way of putting on a condom. Reports suggest that correct utilization of a condom is essential for decreasing the chance of transmitting HIV. It was an entertaining and educational way to speak directly to the realities of a country facing an AIDS pandemic. Kenya is at the forefront of combating HIV. They've been able to reach a population that's at high risk for contracting the AIDS virus through the implementation of culturally sensitive and progressive programs and models. Kenyans totally get that social marketing plays into influencing how certain groups experience condom use.
And the fact that Black and Brown folks aren't even primary subjects in US condom ads, might be another reason “we” are contracting HIV at alarming rates.
Take a look at the condom commercials and tell me what you think. The ads aren't perfect but I think it's a start in the right direction.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoo3IuYujws&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCa6XBKwMjM
Could this be an approach that we need to try here in the United States? Should we demand more ads that feature Black and Brown people? Could there be a possibility that this might change the way we relate to safe sex?
African Americans and Latinos are sexual beings who should be interested in (or targeted for) practicing sexual safety. And the fact that Black and Brown communities are at a greater risk for contracting HIV, shouldn't we be prioritized in the marketing strategy? If not prioritized, these communities should at the least be included. Yes, I know that's an optimistic thought. But look, they owe us that much considering all the Magnum references made in hip-hop songs, lol. Bottom line, these companies know we're purchasing their products and to not include us is unacceptable and highly questionable.
How many times have you sat at home and stumbled across a condom commercial? Did you ever feel compelled to use a condom based on the “European” individuals in the ad? Did the condom ad properly present the way you experience sexual pleasures as a person of color? There's a direct disconnection with American safe sex ads and American sexual behaviors. Americans are too conservative! Therefore a lot of these ads are restricted in the way they promote safe sex....their entire approach is outdated, sexist, oppressive, homophobic, and borderline racist crap.
Recently, I did a little web research looking for ads that spoke directly to me as a Black woman needless to say most of the ads featured young white folks in the stereotypical sexist fashion. However there were a few ads that featured African American narrators, there's the ad with the overweight Black guy playing the role of Condom Fairy, or the ad that looks like a scene from a hip-hop video. This did nothing for me personally...I'm looking to be spoken to not at.
Then I stumbled upon a Trust condom ad from Kenya. The ad featuring an all African cast of characters suggestively hinting at the importance of using condoms. One (Trust) ad presented a heterosexual presentation of Black love and the importance of safe sex. The other (extremely entertaining) ad suggested the correct way of putting on a condom. Reports suggest that correct utilization of a condom is essential for decreasing the chance of transmitting HIV. It was an entertaining and educational way to speak directly to the realities of a country facing an AIDS pandemic. Kenya is at the forefront of combating HIV. They've been able to reach a population that's at high risk for contracting the AIDS virus through the implementation of culturally sensitive and progressive programs and models. Kenyans totally get that social marketing plays into influencing how certain groups experience condom use.
And the fact that Black and Brown folks aren't even primary subjects in US condom ads, might be another reason “we” are contracting HIV at alarming rates.
Take a look at the condom commercials and tell me what you think. The ads aren't perfect but I think it's a start in the right direction.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoo3IuYujws&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCa6XBKwMjM
Could this be an approach that we need to try here in the United States? Should we demand more ads that feature Black and Brown people? Could there be a possibility that this might change the way we relate to safe sex?
Saturday, May 23, 2009
The Real Deal: Facts About Youth and AIDS
"In the U.S., it is estimated that two young people (age 13-25) are infected with HIV each hour.[1]"
The people most affected by HIV and AIDS by in large, are those most marginalized by our political system: poor people, immigrants, and racial and ethnic minorities. Yet the struggle of those communities against HIV and AIDS remain largely invisible to the greater public. In the United States, rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as well as of unintended pregnancy are disproportionately high among youth of color, especially among black and Hispanic youth. Social, economic, and cultural barriers limit the ability of many youth of color to receive accurate and adequate information on preventing HIV, STIs, and unwanted pregnancy [2]. Youth of color experience higher rates of medical indigence than do white youth, and they more often confront financial, cultural, and institutional barriers in obtaining health care. For many youth of color, publicly funded health insurance provides limited access to comprehensive, adolescent-appropriate health services[3].
Through 2001, African Americans and Latinas accounted for 84 percent of cumulative AIDS cases among women ages 13 to 19 and 78 percent of cases among women ages 20 to 24.Through 2001, African Americans and Latinos accounted for 62 percent of cumulative AIDS cases among men ages 13 to 19 and 60 percent of cases among men ages 20 to 24[4]. In a study of African American women ages 13 to 19, 26 percent felt little control over whether or not a condom was used during intercourse; 75 percent agreed that, if a male knew a female was taking oral contraceptives, he would not want to use a condom; 66 percent felt that a male partner would be hurt, insulted, or suspicious if asked about his HIV risk factors[5].
Rates of HIV infection are disproportionately high among young women of color, especially those who are members of the working poor and, therefore, lack health insurance and easy access to health care. These young women need gender-specific and culturally appropriate HIV prevention programs[6].
Beyond The Odds: The Realities of Being Young and HIV Positive magnifies the impact that HIV and AIDS has had on low-income and minority youth by empowering HIV positive youth to produce timely, relevant and comprehensive coverage about HIV and AIDS. The “youth journalists” will attempt to open the discussion on this issue by relaying their personal experiences and insight. BTO will explore the intersections between the HIV/AIDS problem and racial and economic marginalization in communities of color, through photography, blogging and poetry.
1. Youth Report 200, White House Office of National Aids Policy
2. www.advocatesforyouth.org
3. Office of Women's Health. Women of Color Health Data Book: Adolescents to Seniors. Bethesda, MD. National Institute of Health, 1998.
4. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report 2002.
5. Overby KJ, Kegeles SM. The impact of AIDS on an urban population of high-risk female minority adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health 1994; 15:216-227.
6. Office of Research Women's Health. Women of Color Health Data Book: Adolescents to Seniors. Bethesda, MD. National Institute of Health, 1998.
The people most affected by HIV and AIDS by in large, are those most marginalized by our political system: poor people, immigrants, and racial and ethnic minorities. Yet the struggle of those communities against HIV and AIDS remain largely invisible to the greater public. In the United States, rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as well as of unintended pregnancy are disproportionately high among youth of color, especially among black and Hispanic youth. Social, economic, and cultural barriers limit the ability of many youth of color to receive accurate and adequate information on preventing HIV, STIs, and unwanted pregnancy [2]. Youth of color experience higher rates of medical indigence than do white youth, and they more often confront financial, cultural, and institutional barriers in obtaining health care. For many youth of color, publicly funded health insurance provides limited access to comprehensive, adolescent-appropriate health services[3].
Through 2001, African Americans and Latinas accounted for 84 percent of cumulative AIDS cases among women ages 13 to 19 and 78 percent of cases among women ages 20 to 24.Through 2001, African Americans and Latinos accounted for 62 percent of cumulative AIDS cases among men ages 13 to 19 and 60 percent of cases among men ages 20 to 24[4]. In a study of African American women ages 13 to 19, 26 percent felt little control over whether or not a condom was used during intercourse; 75 percent agreed that, if a male knew a female was taking oral contraceptives, he would not want to use a condom; 66 percent felt that a male partner would be hurt, insulted, or suspicious if asked about his HIV risk factors[5].
Rates of HIV infection are disproportionately high among young women of color, especially those who are members of the working poor and, therefore, lack health insurance and easy access to health care. These young women need gender-specific and culturally appropriate HIV prevention programs[6].
Beyond The Odds: The Realities of Being Young and HIV Positive magnifies the impact that HIV and AIDS has had on low-income and minority youth by empowering HIV positive youth to produce timely, relevant and comprehensive coverage about HIV and AIDS. The “youth journalists” will attempt to open the discussion on this issue by relaying their personal experiences and insight. BTO will explore the intersections between the HIV/AIDS problem and racial and economic marginalization in communities of color, through photography, blogging and poetry.
1. Youth Report 200, White House Office of National Aids Policy
2. www.advocatesforyouth.org
3. Office of Women's Health. Women of Color Health Data Book: Adolescents to Seniors. Bethesda, MD. National Institute of Health, 1998.
4. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report 2002.
5. Overby KJ, Kegeles SM. The impact of AIDS on an urban population of high-risk female minority adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health 1994; 15:216-227.
6. Office of Research Women's Health. Women of Color Health Data Book: Adolescents to Seniors. Bethesda, MD. National Institute of Health, 1998.
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