A comparison of the sex networks of drug using and non-drug using Latino migrant workers

Migration to the United States has emerged as a risk factor for HIV and other STIs among Latino men. Because many Latino migrant men leave their social support and sexual partners behind, they are at an increased risk for engaging in high risk behavior. 37 male, seed egos from a previous study were enrolled and asked to recruit their sex and drug sharing alters. Sexual and drug networks of LMM were recruited via respondent driven sampling and were surveyed on socio demographic information, sex and drug behaviors, network members, and their attributes. Participants were screened for HIV, syphilis, Chlamydia and gonorrhea. Of the 81 enrolled participants, 81.5% (n=66) were men. 291 (191 unique) network members were named, of which 50.2% were sexual contacts, 42.6% were drug contacts, and 7.2% were both drug and sex contacts. 1 participant tested positive for syphilis. Drug users had lower mean (more sensation seeking) score (1.42 vs. 2.08; p .02). Analysis of the sexual networks of the drug and non-drug users' networks reveal high interconnectedness among the drug users, with less connectedness among the non-drug users. The comparison of the sexual networks indicates that the potential for disease spread if introduced into the network is greater among the drug users. Future research in this population should obtaining a better understanding of the network itself through increasing the number of network members enrolled, while potential interventions should focus on promoting family togetherness and cohesion into the receiving society.