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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Stephen Morin, PhD1, John (Jay) Harcourt, MPH2, Karen Vernon1, Jonathan Volk1, Thomas H. Riess, MPH3, Torsten B Neilands3, Marisa McLaughlin1, and Thomas J. Coates1. (1) Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco, 74 New Montgomery #600, San Francisco, CA 94105, (2) School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 4084 17th St. #4, San Francisco, CA 94114, 415-621-5518, smorin@psg.ucsf.edu, (3) Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California San Francisco, 74 New Montgomery #600, San Francisco, CA 94105
A resurgence of sexual risk taking, STDs and HIV incidence has been reported among men who have sex with men (MSM) in several countries. This study was designed to determine the reasons behind the increase in new HIV infections and to define prevention messages that might reduce risk in this population. We conducted 6 focus groups with 55 MSM recruited from different neighborhoods in San Francisco. Participants were asked to define the factors leading to increased risk taking and new infections. The first four groups identified major themes, while the last two groups validated and confirmed the findings and responded to potential prevention messages. Participants in these last 2 groups ranked 19 potential messages, and Friedman tests were used to test for significance differences among 5 prevention themes. Themes were identified in transcripts of the focus groups by independent coders and entered into Ethnograph software; average rank was assigned to prevention messages assigned by participants. Results from the groups indicated that HIV risk taking and transmission have increased because: 1) HIV is not perceived as the threat it once was due to more effective therapies; 2) MSM communicate less about HIV, and social support for risk reduction has decreased; and 3) community norms have shifted such that unsafe sex is more acceptable. The messages most likely to motivate risk reduction encouraged individuals to seek social support from friends; the themes ranked least likely to succeed were those that reinforced existing safer sex messages. Implications and suggestions for prevention are discussed.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session participants will be able to
Keywords: HIV Risk Behavior, Gay Men
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.