Immunization Black Women's Health Imperative

Black Woman's Health Imperative: Immunization

News for You

Prenatal Education May Improve Vaccination Rates
Prenatal visits may represent a "missed opportunity" to educate parents about the importance of childhood immunization, according to a report in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Quarter of Teen Girls Have Sex-Related Disease
According to a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one out of every four U.S. teen-age girl is infected with at least one sexually transmitted disease, and the rate is highest among Black girls.

The Health-Wise Woman Immunization Awareness and Education Project is a multi-faceted approach designed to raise awareness about current and emerging vaccines and offer information about vaccine safety.

The goal of the project is to increase immunization rates in the African American community while building the capacity of national partners to conduct educational programs that provide clear, consistent, credible and concise health information that is gender-specific and culturally appropriate. The project consists of lay health leader training sessions and health education modules focused on immunizations for African American women and their families.

Strategies for the implementation of this project include: (1) development of specific age-focused immunization education programs and campaigns; (2) training for collaborating affiliate organizations to conduct the education programs and campaigns locally; (3) development of offline and online educational materials for organizational site leaders and consumers to support the program activities and to educate the larger African American community nationwide.

The Imperative is pleased to have as partners in this project the Women's Missionary Society of the AME Zion Church; Mocha Moms Inc.; and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Though these partnerships the project is reaching Black women in the following cities Atlanta, Ga.; Baltimore, Md.; Washington, D.C.; Baton Rouge and New Orleans, La.; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago, Ill.; Los Angeles, Calif.; and in Philadelphia, Pa.