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Project Family First Part 1
Hispanics, The "Umbrella Term"
Barriers to Prevention Program
Familialism/Familismo
One concept that has been ingrained into Hispanic culture as a whole is strong family unit. The term used is familialism, and it is used to describe that nuclear family bond that exists within the Hispanic community. This aspect of the Hispanic Culture emphasizes family involvement, family loyalty, and a deep obligation for the welfare of the whole rather than the individual (8). Understanding and utilizing this concept is crucial for my proposed prevention program. This concept will provide the foundation for my program.
(I)
Project: Family First
Multi-Level Theoretical Framework
The concept of a multi-level theoretical framework in terms of HIV/AIDS is that the issue will be addressed on various levels (10). These frameworks are crucial when dealing with multiple variables, which is therefore very applicable to the Hispanic population. Family First will therefore address the HIV/AIDS epidemic on multiple levels, which includes the previously mentioned variables of stigma, religion, distrust of government, and the language barrier/healthcare. It is important to address several issues because the problem to understanding HIV/AIDS is not one-dimensional.
The Youth Factor
Project Family First will consist of focus groups specifically targeted at the Puerto Rican youth, 5th - 8th grade. The youth is a main target because they are more impressionable and open to discuss subjects Therefore, opening the communication at a young age is crucial to establishing a generation of teens that are aware of their health issues (11). It has also been proven that early prevention programs do have an effect on being able to talk about difficult subjects such as HIV/AIDS. However, though this program will be aimed at the youth, the parents will be included and play a crucial role in it as well.
(J)
Blodgett, Delaware, and Seymour Magnet Elementary Schools
Previous data shows that the largest concentration of Hispanics lies in the zip code 13204. Therefore, the next step was finding the Elementary/Middle schools within the area (Figure 2) and then the find the schools whose student body held the highest amount of Hispanic youth. Blodgett, Delaware, and Seymour Magnet are all elementary/middle schools (Grades K-8th / K-5th) that are situated in 13204 and contain the highest concentration of Hispanic students (Table 4).
Therefore, Project Family First will be situated in these schools specifically. However, Frazer and Porter School will still be included but the main emphasis will be on the other three schools.
(K)
(L)
(M)
Though Fowler High School is situated in 13204, it is a high school and is a participating member of Teen AIDS Task Force (explained below).
The Onondaga Branch of AIDS Community Resource has a program called Teen AIDS Task Force (9). However, this program is only aimed at High Schools in Onondaga County. When asked whether or not Blodgett, Delaware or Seymour Magnet had programs within them the answer was no.
The Parent Factor
One vital component of Family First is the participation of the parent. Parent participation relates back to the concept of familialism and its effect on the Hispanic household. It is evident that teaching young teens about HIV/AIDS and the sub-topics (Sex, MSM, and IDU) may not necessarily go over well with many parents. That is why Family First will have focus groups that include parents and their children. It is important to have both, because that way the concept of Hispanic familialism is reinforced. Learning and understanding these important issues together gives the group more meaning and opens up those commonly blocked lines of communication. By having the union of parents and children, that obligation to a family’s health as a whole is fulfilled.
That is not to say that these focus groups will always include the parents. Rather, the emphasis is there but access to privacy and a one–on-one appointment is completely manageable.
Encyclopedia Britannica Online