Informal economy and the rise of sexual health risks for Latino bisexual men

BACKGROUND: Over the past decades, a number of studies have documented the impacts of global transformations and economic restructuring of the labor force on changing labor conditions and the creation of HIV/STI vulnerabilities. Yet, the impacts of these factors have rarely been examined or addressed among sexual and ethnic minorities. This presentation will compare the HIV/STI risks between participants in the informal and formal economies for a sample of bisexual Latino men in New York City. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey and open-ended interviews with bisexually active Latino men (n=148, ages 18 to 45) recruited using social network referrals. The strategies for this analysis were: bivariate and multivariate linear and logistic regression modeling and case study analysis. RESULTS: We found that: 1) those working in manual labor (informal economy) had higher frequency of unprotected anal sex in the past 2 months than those working in other industries (F = 4.45, p = .037); 2) men in the hospitality industry (mixed informal and formal economy) were almost three times more likely to engage in unprotected vaginal intercourse and drinking alcohol in the past 2 months (X = 5.03, p = .041); and had a significantly high frequency of concurrent female sexual partners (i.e., one-night stands with women while maintaining a steady relationship) (F = 6.05, p = .015). In this presentation we include 2 qualitative case studies to illustrate these associations. CONCLUSIONS: Prevention efforts need to be tailored towards the occupations of bisexual Latino men given their differential exposures to HIV/STI risks.