Community stakeholders' perspectives on the impact of the minority AIDS initiative in strengthening HIV prevention capacity in four communities.

OBJECTIVE: The Minority AIDS Initiative (MAI) was launched in 1998 to address the disproportionate rates of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) among racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted an evaluation to assess the influence of MAI in four communities, and the extent to which these communities increased their capacity to meet the HIV prevention needs of racial and ethnic minorities.

DESIGN: Retrospective data were collected annually through individual interviews over three years. Individual interviews were conducted with community stakeholders across the three waves of data collection. Data were analyzed using standardized qualitative methods including codebook development, coding, inter-coder agreement assessments, and data interpretation. This paper will highlight one area of inquiry - community stakeholders' perceptions of the impact of MAI in their communities.

RESULTS: Community stakeholders reported that MAI increased capacity to respond to the HIV epidemic and provide services to racial and ethnic minorities. Specifically, MAI was perceived to have increased community empowerment, involvement, and awareness of HIV/AIDS; expanded HIV-related services and organizational self-sufficiency; and improved collaboration and the coordination of services in the community. Although recognizing MAI gave national focus to the impact of the epidemic on minority communities, respondents raised concerns about the implementation process and the lack of sustainability planning.

CONCLUSION: MAI represented an initial national attempt to address the disproportionate rates of HIV/AIDS among racial and ethnic minorities. However, other strategies are also needed to address these significant health disparities. At CDC, steps are currently underway to develop a comprehensive strategy to prevent and reduce the burden of HIV/AIDS among racial and ethnic minorities. As community stakeholders are critical partners in the effort to prevent the spread of HIV, strengthening their capacity and promoting their involvement can help combat the epidemic.