Empowerment in prevention: a qualitative inquiry into Black girl-centred strategies for reducing HIV/STI and drug misuse risk.

Black girls in the United States are disproportionately diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which can increase the risk of contracting HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), compared to adolescent girls of other races. Therefore, this study was designed to understand barriers to impactful HIV/STI and substance use prevention programmes for Black girls. Data was collected between October 2021 and June 2022 from twelve focus groups which included (N = 62) participants who identified as Black and female between the ages of 13 and 18 years old.

A Qualitative Exploration on Risk and Protective Factors of Substance Use Among Black Adolescent Girls.

Objective: While Black adolescent girls use drugs at much lower rates than White and Hispanic girls, Black adolescent girls often have worse health outcomes due to drug use. This study seeks to highlight the voices of Black adolescent girls in order to understand their unique risk factors for substance use and misuse.

Methods: Utilizing the intersectionality and ecological systems theoretical frameworks, the research team conducted twelve focus groups among a sample of Black adolescent girls ( = 62) between the ages of 13-18 ( = 15.