African-American volunteers carrying an HIV prevention message: selective communication.

Despite increased resources and funding, the rate of new HIV infections has not been contained within the African American community. Initiatives such as the culturally specific American Red Cross African American HIV/AIDS Program have enlisted thousands of volunteers in the fight against AIDS. This article reports the findings of a survey given to program volunteers, focusing on their prevention-related activities. The results suggest that although volunteers felt good about their level of knowledge and about their prevention work, they were selective both in terms of the audiences they addressed and in terms of the topics they covered. Specifically, volunteers were more likely to discuss HIV prevention with acquaintances than with their own family members or with a sexual partner. In addition, volunteers tended not to discuss the dangers of sharing needles.