HIV AIDS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN 40-70 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

HIV AIDS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN 40-70 - Essay Example y is designed to illustrate statistics on this often-underlooked population demographic to determine whether the 40-70 female maintains high prevalence of HIV and AIDS. It further looks to identify whether any social programs exist which impact this particular group and discusses the potential toll HIV and AIDS can take on their lives. AIDS is cited as the third largest cause of death in African American women between the ages of 35 and 44, with the disease being the fourth leading cause of death in the 45-54 year old African American female group (CDC, 2008). Combined, this is a significant cause for alarm. In the pursuit of identifying appropriate research for older African American women ages 55 and beyond, no statistical diagrams or charts which highlighted studies could be located. The aforementioned clearly illustrates that more research into the 40-70 African American population should be identified. For instance, contemporary research studies tend to show a pattern of behaviors which, when charted, can be predicted which give insight into what drives the behaviors socially. Once you have painted a construct of how people interact in these different, segregated social groups, it makes the process of identifying methods to assist these women more difficult as it provides no personality, socio-cultural template by which to relate to the struggling women. As 64 percent of all people in the United States who have HIV and AIDS are African Americans, understanding how infection rates occur and the overall sexual practices of the 40-70 group could provide the necessary tools to break down social barriers in terms of treatment options. Sadly, however, it does not appear that there are adequate social programs in place to assist women of this age group who might be battling with HIV and/or AIDS. However, there are several which are designed to offer clinical research information and a sense of community. One of which is the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF)