What do men who serve as lay health advisors really do?: Immigrant Latino men share their experiences as Navegantes to prevent HIV

Background: HoMBReS: Hombres Manteniendo Bienestar y Relaciones Saludables is an intervention designed to reduce HIV infection among recently-arrived, non-English-speaking Latino men who are members of Latino soccer teams.

Methods: Using an abbreviated life-story narrative approach and grounded theory, our community-based participatory research partnership collected, analyzed, and interpreted qualitative data to better understand and characterize the roles played by the male lay health advisors known as “Navegantes.”

Results: Nine Latino men, who served as Navegantes for over 12 months each, were interviewed. Their mean age was 39 years (range 26-62 years), English-language proficiency was limited; 6 were from Mexico and 3 from El Salvador.

Navegantes reported distributing condoms and discussing sexual health and risks, individual sexual problems, and general health. They reported feeling appreciated by community members, filling an important gap as the “only” resource for Latino men in their community. They described the local commercial sex work industry; how they used condom distribution as a way to initiate discussions; and how they “grew” through the process of being trained and serving as Navegantes: increased confidence, public-speaking skills, and assertiveness. They noted the need for more locally produced lower literacy materials and better structure of their network to help them meet their roles as community advocates.

Conclusions: Immigrant Latino men can successfully provide supportive helping activities for the prevention of HIV within their own communities. Identifying their successes and challenges from an emic perspective provides insights into the needs of the community and the talents and needs of the Navegantes themselves.