Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Change in Risk Perceptions and Marijuana and Cigarette Use Among African American Young Adult Females in an HIV Prevention Intervention

  • Published:
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Cigarette smoking and marijuana use have been tied to increased risky sexual behaviors, which may exacerbate risk of HIV transmission and other STIs (sexually transmitted infections). Research suggests that change in general perceptions of risk is associated with change in non-domain-targeted behaviors. The goal of the current study was to determine whether change in general risk perceptions among African American college females enrolled in a culturally-tailored HIV prevention intervention would be associated with decreased cigarette and marijuana use over time. Data were collected from 108 women enrolled in the SISTA Project intervention at a large university at baseline, post-test, and 3-month follow-up. Results from moderation analyses indicated that change in risk perceptions moderated the relationship between past 30-day cigarette use at baseline and past 30-day cigarette use at both post-test and at 3-month follow-up. Change in risk-perceptions also moderated the relationship between past 30-day marijuana use at baseline and past 30-day marijuana use at 3-month follow-up. Implications of the study indicate that heightening risk perceptions in any one area may impact behavior via specific and general increases in self-efficacy and motivation to reduce health risks more generally.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV among African Americans. 2016. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/group/racialethnic/africanamericans/. Accessed 24 June 2016

  2. American Foundation for AIDS Research. Statistics: women and HIV/AIDS. 2015. http://www.amfar.org/about-hiv-and-aids/facts-and-stats/statistics--women-and-hiv-aids/. Accessed 24 June 2016

  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV among women. 2015. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/risk_women.pdf. Accessed 24 June 2016

  4. UNAIDS. UNAIDS world AIDS day report 2011. 2010. http://www.unaids.org/globalreport/documents/20101123_GlobalReport_full_en.pdf. Accessed 24 June 2016

  5. Berg CJ, Painter JE, Sales JM, Mays D, Rose E, Wingood GM, Diclemente RJ. Smoking as a risk factor for STI diagnosis among African American females. Am J Health Behav. 2012;36(4):505–12.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Liau A, Diclemente RJ, Wingood GM, Crosby RA, Williams KM, Harrington K, Davies SL, Hook 3rd EW, Oh MK. Associations between biologically confirmed marijuana use and laboratory-confirmed sexually transmitted diseases among African American adolescent females. Sex Transmitted Dis. 2002;29(7):387–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Swartzendruber A, Sales JM, Brown JL, Diclemente RJ, Rose ES. Correlates of incident Trichomonas vaginalis infections among African American female adolescents. Sex Transmitted Dis. 2014;41(4):240–5. doi:10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000094.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Walton MA, Resko S, Whiteside L, Chermack ST, Zimmerman M, Cunningham RM. Sexual risk behaviors among teens at an urban emergency department: relationship with violent behaviors and substance use. J Adolesc Health. 2011;48(3):303–5.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. El Bcheraoui C, Sutton MY, Hardnett FP, Jones SB. Patterns of condom use among students at historically Black colleges and universities: implications for HIV prevention efforts among college-age young adults. AIDS Care. 2013;25(2):186–93.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Bellamy ND, Wang MQ, Matthew RF, Leitao MP, Agee RA, Yan AF. Structural model analysis of HIV risk behaviors among sexually active minority adolescents. J Natl Med Assoc. 2008;100(8):914–24.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Du Plessis LD, Holliday RC, Robillard AG, Braithwaite RL. Alcohol, marijuana, and perceptions of influence on social and sexual behavior among African American adolescent female detainees. J Correct Health Care. 2009;15(3):197–209.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Kingree JB, Betz H. Risky sexual behavior in relation to marijuana and alcohol use among African-American, male adolescent detainees and their female partners. Drug Alcohol Dependence. 2003;72(2):197–203.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Kingree J, Braithwaite R, Woodring T. Unprotected sex as a function of alcohol and marijuana use among adolescent detainees. J Adolesc Health. 2000;27:179–85.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Andrade LF, Carroll KM, Petry NM. Marijuana use is associated with risky sexual behaviors in treatment-seeking polysubstance abusers. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2013;39(4):266–71.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Breitenbecher KH. The association between the perception of threat in a dating situation and sexual victimization. Violence Victims. 1999;14:135–46.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Messman-Moore TL, Brown AL. Risk perception, rape, and sexual revictimization: a prospective study of college women. Psychol Women Q. 2006;30:159–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Kilmer JR, Hunt SB, Lee CM, Neighbors C. Marijuana use, risk perception, and consequences: is perceived risk congruent with reality? Addict Behav. 2007;32:3026–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Wackowski OA, Delnevo CD. Young adults’ risk perceptions of various tobacco products relative to cigarettes: results from the national young adult health survey. Health Ed Behav. 2015:1–9. doi:10.1177/1090198115599988.

  19. Hickey MT, Cleland C. Sexually transmitted infection risk perception among female college students. J Am Assoc Nurse Pract. 2012;25:377–84.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Copeland AL, Kulesza M, Patterson SM, Terlecki MA. College student smokers’ cognitive appraisal of high-risk activities. J Am Coll Heal. 2009;58(3):203–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Reyna VF, Mills BA. Theoretically motivated interventions for reducing sexual risk taking in adolescence: a randomized controlled experiment applying fuzzy-trace theory. J Experimental Psychol. 2014;143(4):1627–48. doi:10.1037/a0036717.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Sheeran P, Harris PR, Epton T. Does heightening risk appraisals change people’s intentions and behavior? A meta-analysis of experimental studies. Psychol Bull. 2014;140(2):511–43.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Botvin GJ, Griffin KW, Nichols TR. Preventing youth violence and delinquency through a universal school-based prevention approach. Prev Sci. 2006;7:403–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Griffin KW, Botvin GJ, Nichols TR. Effects of a school-based drug abuse prevention program for adolescents on HIV risk behavior in young adulthood. Prev Sci. 2006;7:103–12.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Copenhaver MM, Lee IC. Examining the decay of HIV risk reduction outcomes following a community-friendly intervention targeting injection drug users in treatment. J Psychoactive Drug. 2007;39:223–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Rosenstock IM, Strecher VJ, Becker MH. The health belief model HIV risk behavior change. In: DiClemente RJ, Peterson JL, editors. Preventing AIDS: theories and methods of behavioral interventions. New York: Plenum; 1994. p. 5–24.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  27. DiClemente RJ, Wingood GM. A randomized controlled trial of an HIV sexual risk–reduction intervention for young African-American women. J Am Med Assoc. 1995;274(16):1271–6.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. National Substance Abuse, HIV, and Hepatitis Prevention Initiative cohort 10, adult baseline questionnaire. Rockville: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; 2012.

    Google Scholar 

  29. American College Health Association. American College Health Association—National College Health Assessment II. Hanover: American College Health Association; 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Booth BM, Wright PB, Ounpraseuth ST, Stewart KE. Trajectory of substance use after an HIV risk reduction intervention. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2015;41:345–52.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  31. Adefuye AS, Abiona TC, Balogun TC, Lukobo-Durrell M. HIV sexual risk behaviors and perception of risk among college students: implications for planning interventions. BMC Pub Health. 2009;9:281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Leonard KJ. The nationally historically black colleges and universities (NHBCU) substance use survey project: a pilot study of use, attitudes and beliefs in HBCU college freshman. 2000. http://apha.confex.com/apha/128am/techprogram/paper_16523.htm. Accessed 29 June 2016

  33. Hou SI. HIV-related behaviors among black students attending historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) versus white students attending a traditionally white institution (TWI). AIDS Care. 2009;21(8):1050–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Bränström R, Brandberg Y. Health risk perception, optimistic bias, and personal satisfaction. Am J Health Behavior. 2010;34(2):197–205.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Sobo EJ. Choosing unsafe sex: AIDS-risk denial among disadvantaged women. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press; 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  36. White House, Office of National AIDs Policy. 2010. National HIV/AIDs strategy for the United States. https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/ files/uploads/ NHAS.pdf. Accessed 29 June 2016

  37. Patrick ME, Bray BC, Berglund PA. Reasons for marijuana use among young adults and long-term associations with marijuana use and problems. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2016;77(6):881–8.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Sarah J. Javier, Melanie P. Moore & Faye Z. Belgrave

  2. University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Jasmine A. Abrams

Authors
  1. Sarah J. Javier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jasmine A. Abrams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Melanie P. Moore
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Faye Z. Belgrave
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarah J. Javier.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Javier, S.J., Abrams, J.A., Moore, M.P. et al. Change in Risk Perceptions and Marijuana and Cigarette Use Among African American Young Adult Females in an HIV Prevention Intervention. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 4, 1083–1091 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-016-0313-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-016-0313-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation