Little attention has focused on generational or age-related differences in human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infection (HIV/STI) risk behaviors among Black men who have sex with men and women (BMSMW). We examined sexual risk behaviors between BMSMW ages 40 and under compared to over age 40. Analysis was conducted using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-sponsored intervention data among BMSMW in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia (n = 546).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBlack men who have sex with men and women (BMSMW) are at increased HIV risk, but few efficacious interventions meet their unique needs. Three HIV prevention interventions were evaluated with a common protocol. Baseline data were pooled to describe sexual behavior involving transmission risk with male, female, and male-to-female transgender partners and identify factors associated with transmission risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBlack men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) are among the populations at highest risk for HIV infection. We describe the evaluation of Project RISE, a six-session individual-level intervention developed for black MSMW using an ecosystems approach. A randomized controlled trial was used to test the effect of the intervention on sexual risk outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFYoung men who have sex with men (YMSM) have high rates of recreational drug use and binge drinking that are related to increases in unprotected sex and HIV risk. We describe the development of a community-level intervention focused on MSM ages 15 to 29 who identify as Black or White and who reported episodic use of alcohol and/or drugs. Intervention content included culturally-relevant role model stories and peer outreach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Brief interventions such as Screening, a single session of Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) have shown mixed effectiveness in primary care. However, there are indications that multi-session brief interventions may demonstrate more consistently positive outcomes, and perhaps a more intensive approach would be of benefit in addressing substance use in primary care. This study compared the effectiveness of SBIRT with a single BI session (BI/RT) to a multi-session brief-treatment intervention (BI/RT+) in primary care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) was used to recruit four samples of Black and Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) in three metropolitan areas to measure HIV prevalence and sexual and drug use behaviors. We compared demographic and behavioral risk characteristics of participants across sites, assessed the extent to which the RDS statistical adjustment procedure provides estimates that differ from the crude results, and summarized our experiences using RDS.
Methods: From June 2005 to March 2006 a total of 2,235 MSM were recruited and interviewed: 614 Black MSM and 516 Latino MSM in New York City, 540 Black MSM in Philadelphia, and 565 Latino MSM in Los Angeles County.
Introduction: The need to integrate behavioral health care within medical settings is widely recognized, and integrative care approaches are associated with improved outcomes for a range of disorders. As substance use treatment integration efforts expand within primary care settings, training behavioral health providers in evidence-based brief treatment models that are cost-effective and easily fit within the medical flow is essential.
Methods: Guided by principles drawn from Diffusion of Innovations theory (Rogers, 2003) and the Consolidated Framework of Implementation Research (Damschroder et al.
Men who have sex with men and women (MSMW), particularly Black MSMW, are at high risk for HIV. However, few studies have focused on factors that influence Black MSMW's specific HIV risk behaviors, and there are no evidence-based interventions specifically targeting this population. Some studies have suggested that masculine ideals are associated with high-risk sex practices and partners.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe examined the hypothesis that black and Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) who have supportive social relationships with other people are less likely to have unrecognized HIV infection compared with MSM of color who report lower levels of social support. We interviewed 1286 black and Latino MSM without known HIV infection in three metropolitan areas who were recruited using respondent driven sampling. Participants completed a computer-administered questionnaire and were tested for HIV.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The authors examine whether young black and Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) who have older sex partners are more likely than those who do not have older sex partners to have unrecognised HIV infection. The authors examine whether the association stems from (1) increased sexual risk behaviour with male partners of any age, (2) heightened risk of being exposed to HIV infection by older partners or (3) a combination of these two factors.
Methods: The analytical sample consisted of 723 black and Latino MSM, aged 18-35 years, who were HIV negative or of unknown serostatus at study entry.
Objective: To identify demographic, behavioral, and psychological variables associated with being HIV positive unaware among black and Latino men who have sex with men (MSM).
Methods: Participants recruited in 3 cities completed a computer-assisted interview and were tested for HIV infection (OraSure Technologies, Bethlehem, PA). HIV-positive unaware MSM were compared with MSM who tested HIV negative in bivariate and multivariate analyses.
Male adolescents who cycle through the juvenile justice system are at high risk for HIV infection, yet there are few HIV prevention interventions for this high-risk population. This study evaluates the efficacy of Preventing AIDS through Live Movement and Sound (PALMS), an innovative, theory-based HIV risk reduction intervention that uses theatrical performances and role-play. The study used a nonrandomized concurrent comparison group design.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCommunity-based organizations (CBOs) play an important role in health promotion efforts and the delivery of HIV prevention interventions for at-risk minority populations. CBOs may also develop their own interventions but often lack the capacity or funds to rigorously evaluate them. The Innovative Interventions project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded three CBOs to rigorously evaluate the efficacy of interventions they had developed and were delivering to Black women, Black men who have sex with men (MSM), and adolescent males in juvenile justice settings, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Evid Based Soc Work
January 2010
We evaluated the effects on drug use and sexual risk of an HIV intervention for out-of-treatment drug users, and assessed the effect of drug use on unprotected sex with main and non-main partners. The intervention significantly reduced unprotected sex with a main partner, but did not affect drug use or unprotected sex with non-main partners. Participants who stopped using drugs by follow-up were less likely to have unprotected sex with both main and other partners.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite high and rapidly growing incidence of HIV, little is known about the everyday lived experiences of HIV-positive black men who have sex with men. Lack of empirical knowledge about members of this group is especially problematic as HIV-positive individuals continue to live in a world of hope, fear, waiting and wondering, which can heavily influence their everyday lives. In this exploratory study, we examine the everyday lives of HIV-positive black gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, particularly how being a racial minority may influence the ways that they manage living with the illness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Mens Health
March 2009
To inform initiatives to increase HIV testing in nontraditional locations, this study examined locations where men who have sex with men (MSM) get their first HIV test and identified population segments with different test location patterns. Interviews were conducted with 451 MSM systematically recruited from 65 venues in Philadelphia. Of 408 men ever tested for HIV, 29% took their first test in a clinic or hospital, 23% in a doctor's office, 30% at an HIV organization, and 19% in a high-risk setting, including prison, shelter, or drug treatment facility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHIV sexual transmission risk behaviors were examined among 1,065 Latino and 1,140 black men who have sex with men (MSM). Participants completed a computer-administered questionnaire and were tested for HIV infection. Of men who reported that their last HIV test was negative or that they had never been tested or did not get the result of their last test, 17% of black and 5% of Latino MSM tested HIV-positive in our study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBlack men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) are at high risk for HIV infection and transmission. This study compared the sexual risk behaviors of Black MSMW who self-reported being HIV-positive with those who reported being HIV-negative and those who did not know their HIV status. Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) was used to recruit 1,154 Black MSM in Philadelphia and New York who completed an audio computer-assisted self-interview (ACASI).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMany behavioral studies of Black men fail to differentiate between those who have sex exclusively with men (MSM) and those who have sex with both men and women (MSMW). Respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit a total of 1,154 Black MSM and MSMW in New York City and Philadelphia. In descriptive analyses, MSMW and MSM were compared on several demographic, health, and behavioral risk correlates using chi-square tests.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Acquir Immune Defic Syndr
December 2007
Objective: To examine characteristics of circumcised and uncircumcised Latino and black men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States and assess the association between circumcision and HIV infection.
Methods: Using respondent-driven sampling, 1154 black MSM and 1091 Latino MSM were recruited from New York City, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. A 45-minute computer-assisted interview and a rapid oral fluid HIV antibody test (OraSure Technologies, Bethlehem, PA) were administered to participants.
Improving our understanding of how individuals decide to take an HIV test is essential for designing effective programs to increase testing. This paper assesses the relationship of decisional balance and perceived risk to HIV testing history in a cross-sectional community sample of 1523 HIV-negative men and women at risk due to drug use or sexual behavior. We developed scales to measure perceived advantages (pros) and perceived disadvantages (cons) of taking an HIV test and assessed their content using factor analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study determined the overall prevalence of HIV testing within a community sample of heterosexual men and women at high risk for HIV infection, and analysed the gender-specific individual- and structural-level barriers and facilitators to testing. Data were collected through 1,643 personal interviews conducted in Philadelphia between 1999 and 2000. Overall, 79.
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