Why is this study important?
African immigrant women in the United States have higher rates of HIV compared to any other races living in the United States. However, no programs are specifically designed to help African women increase their use of condoms or other prevention methods to help reduce risk of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV.
The intersection of many factors amplify HIV risk for African-born women in the US.
What is DADA and DKD Program?
- Dada Kwa Dada (DKD) program is a one-on-one, individual program which a professional/trained African-born woman teaches another about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and discusses skills on how to make healthy choices about their sexual life and how to protect themselves. DKD has been adapted from the original Sister to Sister(S2S)
- DADA Program is a group program which a professional/trained African woman (sometimes with a co-facilitator) leads a group of 6 to 8 African women to facilitate group learning meetings/discussions about sexual health and HIV. The main things covered in these learning sessions are topics on gender, ethnic pride and being aware of tools to increase negotiation with partners around sex and to make other healthy life choices. This program has been adapted to fit African immigrant women from the original Sisters Informing Sisters About Topics on AIDS(SISTA)
The original programs of “Sister to Sister (S2S)”, and “Sisters Informing Sisters on Topics about AIDS (SISTA)” were previously designed for the African American women. In this study, we have adapted the same programs to fit for African-born women and now we would like to compare them to see which is better for the African-born women.
What are the possible benefits of being in these programs?
By participating in any of these two programs, you will be able to receive correct information on HIV transmission and prevention and PrEP and be able to identify the correct steps for using condoms and negotiation skills for using condoms. Furthermore, you will learn important negotiation and coping skills that you can practice in your personal life, whether related to sexual health or not.
What will I be asked to do if I participate?
- You will be requested to go for a lab test (2 times within a period of six months)
- Fill out surveys (first before participating in the program, 3 months after joining the program, and after 6 months)
- You will participate in an online (via Zoom) session which is either a 1-hour one-on-one session or two group sessions of 3-hours each.