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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Anita Raj, PhD¹, M. Christina Santana, MPH¹, Seth Welles, ScD, PhD², Jay G. Silverman, PhD³, C. Robert Horsburgh, MD², and Jenevieve Opoku, MPH¹. (1) Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St., T2W, Boston, MA 02118, 617-638-6467, anitaraj@bu.edu, (2) Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, T3E, Boston, MA 02118, (3) Division of Public Health Practice/Department of Society, Human Development & Health, Harvard University, 677 Huntington Ave., Kresge 705, Boston, MA 02115

Objective: To assess whether incarceration, street violence and gang involvement are associated with increased risk for recent STD/HIV diagnosis among Black men.

Methods: Black men (N=700) age 18-65 years and reporting sex with 2 or more partners in the past year are being recruited from urban community health centers within Boston neighborhoods characterized by high rates of violence and STD/HIV. Participants are being surveyed via computer on their STD/HIV diagnoses, risk behaviors and risk factors. Preliminary findings (n=539) are presented. Logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, number of male and female partners in the past year, and past 30 day illicit drug use, was used to assess associations between ever and past year incarceration, past 6 months street violence involvement, and gang involvement ever with our dependent variable, past 6 month STD or HIV diagnosis.

Results: One-third (30%) had ever received an STD or HIV diagnosis; 10% had been diagnosed in the past 6 months. Over half (60%) reported incarceration ever; 26% reported past year incarceration; 30% had engaged in street violence, and 22% had been in a gang. Incarceration ever (OR=3.3, 95% CI=1.3-8.0), and gang involvement (OR=2.2, 95% CI=1.1-4.4) were significantly associated with STD/HIV diagnosis in bivariate and multivariate analyses.

Conclusion: History of incarceration and gang involvement, but not recent incarceration or involvement in street violence, are major risk factors for recent STD/HIV diagnosis in our sample; these findings indicate the need for more research to understand what about incarceration and gang involvement may increase sexual risk among men.

Learning Objectives:

• To identify whether incarcertion, street violence and gang involvement increase risk for STD diagnosis among Black men recruited from urban community health centers in neighborhoods characterized by high rates of violence and STD/HIV.
• To identify whether associations examined in learning objective 1 continue to exist after accounting for demographics, individual sexual risk (number of male and female sex partners) and recent drug use.
• To consider how the climate of violence and high rates of incarceration in US Black communities are contributing to the STD and HIV epidemics in these communities.

Keywords: African American, Violence

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation