1. TITLE: Community-Academic Partnership to Conduct Demographic Surveillance: First Step to Effective
HIV/AIDS Community-Based Participatory Research
AUTHOR BLOCK
Yancey, EM; Morehouse School of Medicine Prevention Research Center, Atlanta, GA
Hoffman, LM; Pittsburgh Community Improvement Association, Inc. Atlanta, GA
Bryant, LO; Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
Wingfield, JH; Morehouse School of Medicine Prevention Research Center, Atlanta, GA
Collins, D; Morehouse School of Medicine Prevention Research Center, Atlanta, GA
Armstrong-Mensah, E; Morehouse School of Medicine Prevention Research Center, Atlanta, GA
Alema-Mensah, E; Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Cureton, S; Morehouse School of Medicine Prevention Research Center, Atlanta, GA
ISSUE: The HIV/AIDS epidemic has been called “a public health emergency” in the African American
community. Georgia ranked ninth highest in the US for estimated rates of adult cases living with AIDS.
Seventy-eight percent of newly diagnosed HIV cases and 75 % of AIDS cases were among African
Americans who represented only 30% of the population. Seventy-two percent of HIV cases in
metropolitan Atlanta were African Americans.
SETTING: HIV Risk Reduction Research: Demographic Surveillance of Metropolitan Atlanta included
ten contiguous counties; Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Dekalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry,
and Rockdale.
PROJECT: Healthy communities require sustained partnership efforts of diverse civic and community-
based organizations, individuals, and healthcare professionals. Our community-academic partnership
was developed following the prescribed steps informed by community-based participatory research
(CBPR) development. We identified metropolitan Atlanta areas where African Americans were most
adversely affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in order to concentrate prevention efforts in those areas.
We assessed zip code data including population, ethnic composition, race, age, per capita income,
education, and gender distribution.
RESULTS: Our community-academic partnership conducted the surveillance with assistance of
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia Department of Human Resources, and Atlanta
Regional Commission representatives. We worked together identifying 15 zip code areas with majority
African American populations and significantly high AIDS rates. African Americans represented 81% of
the 565,057 total population study area of which 36% were between ages 18-44. Wide per capita
income range among African Americans yielded a $14,499 mean income. Two zip codes had 49.4%
and 45.4% living below poverty level. Thirty-two percent of males and 28% females were high school
graduates; 22% of males and 25% females had some college; 15% of males and 23% females had an
associate through graduate/professional degree. Although the 15 zip codes were similar on ethnic,
gender, and age measures, they varied considerably on per capita income and education indicators.
Importantly, US poverty income level (<$4,999) was a statistically significant predictor of AIDS rates.
Income above $4,999 and education were not statistically significant predictors. These data were used
to inform the next step – developing and implementing an ethnically sensitive community engaged
HIV/AIDS risk reduction project.
LESSONS LEARNED: Conducting a community-academic partnership led demographic surveillance
as the first step in CBPR 1) helps to assure identification of appropriately targeted communities, 2)
strengthens community involvement/support, 3) expands community-focused community and
researcher knowledge, 4) supports and informs development of research projects that effectively
address community priorities and needs.

2. Learning Objective #1.
At the completion of this session participants will be able to identify steps necessary to conduct a
community-academic partnership led HIV/AIDS geographic demographic surveillance.
Learning Objective #2.
At the completion of this session participants will be able to define the components of an effective
community-based participatory research community-academic partnership.
Learning Objective #3.
At the completion of this session participants will be able to define the process of translating
surveillance data into development of a research project.