Do numbers mean anything?

According to a survey Transdiaspora Network (TDN) conducted of Brooklyn residents in March 2008, more than 60% of residents had not participated in HIV prevention education, and 67% discussed ways to protect themselves only once per year or even less frequently. Not surprisingly, an overwhelming majority of those surveyed (79%) reported that their HIV prevention education had not incorporated cultural elements at all. Most interestingly, TDN found that 50% of those whose education had incorporated cultural heritage described their knowledge of HIV prevention as "excellent" compared to 27.7% of those whose education did not incorporate cultural heritage at all. This survey was an inter-sectional collaboration between TDN, Brooklyn College's Center for the Study of Brooklyn and Columbia Community Outreach.

Current reported HIV seroprevalence rates in Brooklyn are among the highest in the United States and are the highest of New York City's five boroughs. According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data, there are over 3 million Caribbean-Americans in the United States, and it is estimated that 500,000 are living in the New York metropolitan area (7% of the U.S. Caribbean-American population,) with the highest concentration in Brooklyn. Still, little is known about the specifics of HIV-related attitudes, behaviors and prevalence in this population. As Mayor Michael Bloomberg recognized in his 2006 proclamation of the National Caribbean Health /AIDS Awareness Day in the City of New York, many Caribbean-Americans are not connected to traditional social services and healthcare networks. This population needs culturally and linguistically appropriate services that are easily accessible and effectively communicate critical health information.