Alyssa G. Robillard

A Prospective Study of Exposure to Rap Music Videos and African American Female Adolescents’ Health

Rap music videos are a media genre that is attracting considerable attention. Rap music has evolved from African American music forms, with influences from rhythm and blues, fusion, contemporary gospel, and bebop.1–3 Although there is considerable concern regarding the themes and images expressed in rap music videos, limited empirical research has examined the effect of rap music videos on adolescents’ behavior.4 This investigation sought to determine whether exposure to rap music videos at baseline could predict the occurrence of health risk behaviors and sexually transmitted diseases among African American adolescent females over a 12-month follow-up period.

Tattooing and body piercing among adolescent detainees: relationship to alcohol and other drug use.

PURPOSE The purpose of this preliminary study was to document self-reported tattooing and body piercing behavior among a sample of 860 adolescent detainees. Additionally, the study examined the relationship of alcohol and drug use to tattooing and body piercing--an often overlooked HIV risk behavior. METHODS Adolescents (N = 860) participating in a substance use and HIV risk reduction intervention were surveyed upon entrance to a Youth Development Campus (YDC). RESULTS Twenty-nine percent of the sample (N = 245) had at least one tattoo, and more than half (69%) had at least one body piercing. Fifteen percent had two or more tattoos, while 28% had three or more piercings. Although a small percentage of the youth reported knowingly sharing needles for tattoos or piercings (2% and 1.5%, respectively), 21% had tattoos that had been administered unprofessionally and 20% had unprofessionally administered piercings. Marijuana and alcohol were the highest reported substances used in this sample, 62% and 54%, respectively. Alcohol, marijuana, antidepressants, and sedatives were significant correlates of having tattoos. Alcohol was found to be a marginally significant (P = .052) correlate of body piercing. CONCLUSION The popularity of tattooing and piercing and the risk involved with these activities make them an HIV risk behavior worthy of address. Risk reduction messages to youth should consistently address these behaviors and focus on them as they relate to substance use.

Partners and Processes in HIV Services for Inmates and Ex-Offenders: Facilitating Collaboration and Service Delivery

The elevated rates of HIV/AIDS among inmates are due in part to the high concentration of incarcerated persons with behavioral risk factors for HIV infection. Corrections, public health, and community-based organizations should partner to take full advantage of the opportunity to maximize effectiveness and efficiency in addressing HIV/AIDS in inmate populations. The purpose of this study is to document issues inhibiting collaboration, service delivery, and multisite evaluation as identified by members of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Health Resources and Services Administration Corrections Demonstration Project (CDP). Examining the barriers (and identifying ways to resolve them) is important in developing and maintaining successful programs that ultimately benefit HIV-infected inmates and the communities to which they return.

CDC/HRSA HIV/AIDS Intervention, Prevention, and Continuity of Care Demonstration Project for Incarcerated Individuals Within Correctional Settings and the Community: Part I, A Description of Corrections Demonstration Project Activities

This paper is the first in a series describing the HIV/AIDS Intervention, Prevention, and Continuity of Care Demonstration Project for Incarcerated Individuals Within Correctional Settings and the Community, a multisite HIV care and prevention transitional service delivery project funded jointly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration. Health departments from six states (California, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York) and one city (Chicago, Illinois) were awarded funding for their demonstration projects and have implemented activities in prisons, jails, juvenile facilities, and other corrections-related settings. This paper describes many of the activities implemented in these seven sites and highlights settings and approaches to service delivery that are unique.

A Community-Based Approach to Eliminating Racial and Health Disparities Among Incarcerated Populations: The HIV Example for Inmates Returning to the Community

To underscore the public health risk involved, as well as the extent to which HIV infection rates disproportionately affect racial/ethnic populations in prison settings, the authors briefly review a current approach that is being implemented in four selected sites located in the southeastern region of the United States. Moreover, the authors present these observations in terms of HIV infection and how health professionals may be able to curb the spread of this and other infectious pathogens among primarily incarcerated African American and Latino male inmates. Based on a peer education model, the authors outline several practice implications for dealing with this population, which include (a) making provisions for case management, (b) building capacity and increasing the participatory role of community agencies, (c) focusing on the significance of ethnicity and cultural competency in prison culture, (d) implementing youth-specific models, and (e) applying a holistic approach.

CDC/HRSA HIV/AIDS Intervention, Prevention, and Continuity of Care Demonstration Project for Incarcerated Individuals Within Correctional Settings and the Community: Part II, Implementation Issues During Years One and Two:

This article is the second in a series describing the HIV/AIDS Intervention, Prevention, and Continuity of Care Demonstration Project for Incarcerated Individuals Within Correctional Settings and the Community, a multisite HIV care and prevention transitional service delivery project funded jointly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration. Local and state health departments and community-based organizations in the states of California, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York, and in the city of Chicago, Illinois, were funded to carry out this important initiative. This paper outlines issues that the grantees faced as they sought to implement service programs during the first two years of the grant.