AN ETHNOGRAPHY--DRUG USE AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN

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DESCRIPTION (Applicant's Abstract): Research findings suggest that cocaine use is increasing among Blacks, although it is declining among young adults and whites. The escalation of crack cocaine-related problems has compounded drug abuse problems among African American populations. Yet, knowledge gaps exist about the impact of illicit drug abuse on Southern rural African American populations and especially among African American women. The purpose of this ethnographic study is to gain an understanding of the culture of Southern rural African American women who use crack cocaine. Four primary and three secondary aims will be addressed in this pursuit. The primary aims are: (1) to illustrate the familial and non-familial drug-use culture of the respondents, (2) to determine whether the respondents' social networks enable or oppose drug use, (3) to characterize the respondents' drug use patterns (types, frequency, and amount) and (4) to identify and characterize factors associated with the respondents' initiation, continuation, and cessation of the use of crack and other drugs. To enhance public health knowledge and to inform public health policy, the secondary aims are: (1) to document the respondents' behavioral habits and determine its impact on the community, (2) to categorize the respondents' sexual behavior (preventive or risky) for STDs including HIV and Hepatitis-C, and (3) to characterize the respondents' knowledge of existing preventive health care and drug treatment services and note their use of these services. The design of this study is a holistic ethnographic approach, which will consist of participant observation, informal interviews, and intensive in-depth qualitative interviews of the respondents. Respondent sampling will be purposive using "snowball" recruitment. Demographic data will be analyzed with descriptive statistics and the qualitative data will be analyzed using constant comparative analysis and content analysis.