Abstract
The authors examined how Asian and Pacific-Island American adolescents from a poor urban community perceive HIV and HIVrprevention efforts. Using focus groups and grounded theory procedures, the present study found these youth were generally knowledgeable about HIV but many continued to engage in risky behavior. Participants vastly overestimated the prevalence of HIV and, relatedly, described a strong sense of fatalism about HIV. Most HIV-prevention is perceived as excessively lecture oriented. Evidence of participants' readiness for more youth-centered dialog about HIV and AIDS is presented and discussed.