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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Jennifer L. Lauby, PhD, Nayck Feliz, MA, ABD, and Christopher Washington, BBA. Research and Evaluation, Philadelphia Health Management Corporation, 260 S. Broad Street, 18th floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102, 215 985-2556, jennifer@phmc.org

BACKGROUND: The decision to have unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) is influenced by the context and meaning of the interaction. We examined relationships between UAI, places men have sex, and self-reported reasons for having sex.

METHODS: In Philadelphia, 540 Black MSM recruited through Respondent-Driven Sampling completed an ACASI survey assessing HIV risk. Participants were age 18-71 (mean=42.4); 78% reported annual income less than $20,000; 25% did not complete high school and 26% completed education beyond high school. 17% identified as heterosexual, 44% bisexual, and 39% homosexual.

RESULTS: Most frequently mentioned locations for sex with a man were: participant's own home (41%), sexual partner's home (37%), hotels (32%), parks (24%), cars (20%), video stores/movies (13%) and on the street (10%). Overall, 28% reported UAI with a non-main partner in the past 3 months. Men most likely to report UAI were those who had sex in video stores (49% UAI), on the street (49%), in parks (38%) and in cars (36%). The effects of location on UAI remained significant (p<.05) after controlling for age, SES and sexual identity. Men most likely to report UAI were those whose reasons for sex were “I'm addicted to sex” (35% UAI), “to overcome feeling lonely” (34%) and “because I'm horny” (33%).

CONCLUSIONS: A better understanding of the context of sexual behavior is essential to develop appropriate and effective interventions for high-risk populations such as Black MSM. The experiences and opinions of the people affected are crucial to consider when developing prevention programs in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Learning Objectives: