Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #112939

Brian Dodge, PhD, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Public Health Programs, 101 S Newell Drive, HPNP Room 4179, Gainesville, FL 32610, 352-273-6086, bdodge@phhp.ufl.edu, Theo Sandfort, PhD, HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, Unit 15, New York, NY 10032, Miguel A. Munoz-Laboy, DrPH, Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University, 722 W 168th St 9th Floor, New York, NY 10032, Linwood Lewis, PhD, Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University and Sarah Lawrence College, 722 W 168th St 9th Floor, New York, NY 10032, Lloyd Goldsamt, PhD, Institute for Research on Youth at Risk, National Development and Research Institutes, Inc., 71 West 23rd Street, 4th floor, New York, NY 10010, and William Jeffries, BA, Sociology and College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Turlington Hall, PO Box 117330, Gainesville, FL 32611-7330.

Background: In much previous HIV/AIDS research, men who have sex with both men and women (MSMW) and men who have sex exclusively with men (MSM) have been combined under the rubric of "MSM" without being examined separately in terms of their risk and prevention needs. However, recent studies have shown that African-American and Latino MSMW and their partners are at relatively high risk for HIV transmission. Little information is available on factors associated sexual risk behavior among MSMW and how such behavior may be amenable to change through interventions. Methods: In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 30 young MSMW (ages 18-30) in the metropolitan New York City area. In order to be eligible, men needed to report they had sex with at least one male and at least one female partner in the past twelve months, used condoms inconsistently with these sexual partners, and identified as African-American or Latino. Participants were recruited using targeted sampling techniques in spaces where MSMW have been found to interact socially and/or sexually with other men and women based on previous ethnographic mapping. Findings: African-American and Latino MSMW experience unique individual, sexual, and social factors associated with HIV risk. Current MSM-targeted prevention efforts may not be relevant, accessible, and effective in meeting their prevention needs. Conclusions: The findings from this pilot study offer new insights into the sexual lives and risk behaviors of at-risk African-American and Latino MSMW and will be relevant to understanding and preventing HIV transmission in future interventions with this special population.

Learning Objectives: Upon completion, participants in this session may

• learn that African-American and Latino men who have sex with both men and women (MSMW) and their sexual partners have recently been determined to be one of the highest risk groups for HIV infection and transmission.
• gain a deeper understanding of the unique individual, sexual, and social issues in the lives of at-risk African-American and Latino MSMW - as separate and distinct from men who have sex exclusively with men (MSM) and men who have sex exclusively with women (MSW).
• explore information on the patterns and meanings of sexual behavior in the lives of at-risk MSMW.
• gain insight into the lived experiences of at-risk MSMW in terms of identities and communities, including the currently popularized phenomenon of "The Down Low."
• identify the potential determinants of risk involved in sexual interactions of at-risk MSMW.
• determine which risk behaviors and associated factors may need most attention in subsequent HIV/STI risk-reduction interventions directed toward at-risk MSMW.
• become exposed to innovative sampling strategies and locations with which to reach relatively "hidden populations" such as at-risk MSMW.

Keywords: Sexual Risk Behavior, Special Populations

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.