National Latino Aids Awareness Day

HIV/AIDS rates among Hispanics in Florida are on the rise, and in honor of the first-ever National Latino AIDS Awareness Day I developed a prevention program tailored to the needs of young Latinos at Florida State. Joining me in this venture was T.H.E.L.O.C. (True Health Enlightenment for Ladies of Color) and O.A.S.H.H.S. (Oscar Arias Sanchez Hispanic Honor Society). It was our intention to raise awareness, prevent infection and commemorate the day as a recognized Day of Remembrance for Latinos who have been lost to AIDS. The program was held on October 15th at TSHC and over 50 students attended. The presentation included a discussion on social taboos which underscored the need for such programs. When asked what they thought was the main barrier to prevention among Latinos, most students responded, “Communication.” A post-program survey indicated that most students are interested in learning communication skills necessary to have a healthy sexual relationship. In response to this, the HIV Clinic and T.H.E.L.O.C. are developing programming for the Spring semester entitled “Negotiating Safer Sex.”

Included are the results of the post-program survey as well as photos of the event. 99% of respondents said that the program met or exceeded their expectations. Only 1 respondent did not feel the content was relevant to their experiences. Most importantly, 95% of respondents said that some or most of the material covered was new to them. The majority of respondents were able to name something new they learned from the program, which mainly consisted of facts about HIV transmission and the use of barrier methods for prevention. Several participants also commented that they were surprised to learn the facts and statistics about the Hispanic community. By and large the program was a success. The results of the survey were outstanding, and audience participation created a lively atmosphere which fostered interest in the topic. Several students thanked me personally, and the President of OASHHS expressed interest in working together in the future. The greatest success came when over a dozen students scheduled appointments to get their first HIV test. I look forward to continuing this program each year for National Latino AIDS Awareness Day.

Survey results based on 20 out of 53 participants responding.

  1. Did the program meet your expectations in terms of the information covered?

    1%-“somewhat”
    65%- “yes”
    34%-“ exceeded expectations”
  2. Do you feel the information given is relevant to your life and your experiences?

    1%- “no”
    34%- “somewhat”
    65%- “yes”
  3. Approximately how much of the material covered in the program was new to you?

    5%-“none”
    90%- “some”
    5%-“most”
  4. How would you rate the effectiveness of the presenter(s)?

    10%- “fair”
    20%-“good”
    70%-“excellent”
  5. How would you rate the organization and planning of this event?

    45%-“good”
    55%-“excellent”


Your favorite part of the program:
“ Humor & demonstrations.”
“ Condom presentation.”
“ Learning that oral sex can cause AIDS.”
“ Demonstrations, giveaways.”
“ Presenter was good.”
“ Presenter was good.”
“ It wasn’t too uptight.”
“ The open questions.”
“Question & Answer part.”
“ Condom presentation.”
“ The facts on Latinos & AIDS.”
“ Demonstrations.”
“ The open discussion.”

Your least favorite part of the program
“Quiet moments.”
“ The demonstration.”
“ Not enough goodie bags.”
“ Silence during the Q&A.”

Something new you learned from this program:
“ How the female condom is used.”
“ Females are more at risk than I thought.”
“ Flavored condoms to protect from oral sex.”
“ How to work a female condom.”
“ That Latinos are growing in numbers for AIDS.”
“ That 20% of AIDS victims are Latinos.”
“ AIDS/HIV can be transmitted by milk from mother’s breast.”
“ Testing procedures for HIV.”
“ HIV is different from AIDS.”
“ The facts about the Hispanic community and AIDS.”
“ The risk of unprotected sex and which forms are most dangerous.”
“ Transmission occurs with breastmilk.”
“ Methods of contracting AIDS.”
“ 20% of AIDS victims are Latinos.”

 

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