10.1177/0095798403259245 ARTICLEJOURNAL OF BLACK PSYCHOLOGY / FEBRUARY 2004Beatty et al. / HIV PREVENTION RESEARCH HIV Prevention Research for African Americans: Current and Future Directions

African Americans experience HIV and AIDS at a rate 10 times greater than the U.S. White population. Although there have been advances in HIV risk-reduction strategies, these efforts have not been as successful in decreasing HIV infection in the African American population. This article reviews the research base of HIV prevention interventions to identify research that will lead to the development of more effective prevention strategies for African Americans. Major limitations found in the research include the exclusion of African Americans in studies, par-ticularly those at higher risk, and the lack of using culturally based theory to guide research. Recommendations for improving research are offered. They in-clude conducting research that focuses on structural interventions rather than in-dividuals, controlling for diversity within the African American population, de-fining culture when using it in research, and developing a cadre of African American researchers involved in prevention intervention studies