J Natl Med Assoc
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HIV/AIDS continues to create a significant health crisis in African-American communities and health disparities within the United States. Understanding African-American sexuality within a culturally congruent and ethnocentric approach is critical to decreasing the HIV infection and transmission rates for African Americans. ⋯ Research trainings for new and established investigators and collaborations among health, community, religious, political organizations, and historically black colleges and universities are needed to disseminate relevant HIV prevention messages. Conducting research to better understand African-American sexuality will facilitate the development of behavioral interventions that address health, HIV and mental health risk reduction within the context of African-American life.
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It is estimated that nearly half of all African-American men who have sex with men (AAMSM) living in major U. S. cities are already infected with HIV. ⋯ In this paper, we briefly review what is known and what research questions remain in order to curtail the epidemic among AAMSM. Finally, we provide recommendations for future research that include the: 1) development of a national cohort of young AAMSM to prospectively study biological, behavioral, social and contextual factors that place AAMSM at risk for infection with HIV and other STDs; 2) adapting existing interventions in HIV prevention to the unique characteristics of AAMSM and evaluating their effectiveness; 3) evaluating factors such as intracommunity and familial discrimination against AAMSM that may lead to lack of disclosure; and 4) enhancing our understanding of how cultural and social factors can be used in a positive and self-affirming way to strengthen HIV prevention and care for AAMSM.
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HIV and AIDS disproportionately affect African Americans more than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. Representing only 13% of the U. ⋯ The present incidence and prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the black community in the United States is of crisis proportions. The situation as it stands today is tantamount to a state of emergency for African Americans.
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African Americans are at greater risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality than European Americans or Asians. They also bear a disproportionately greater burden from type-2 diabetes mellitus. Not as much access to healthcare and less intensive use of available therapies may explain some of these disparities. ⋯ In addition to lifestyle approaches, achieving aggressive goals for blood pressure (< or =130/80 mmHg) and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (<100 mg/dL, or <70 mg/dL for patients at very high cardiovascular risk, including those with diabetes) will necessitate the use of effective pharmacologic therapies. Clinical trial data indicate that antihypertensive regimens, particularly those that include a diuretic, are as effective in African Americans as in other racial/ethnic groups. Moreover, potent statins have been shown to decrease low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol to goal levels in African-American patients.
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To determine associations between home remedy use and self-reported adherence among urban African Americans with poorly controlled hypertension. ⋯ Home remedy use may be a marker of positive self-care for some hypertensive African Americans and not a promoter of nonadherence.