328816
Coming Out to Health Care Providers in Puerto Rico: Opportunities for Prevention, Linkage and Engagement in Care
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Sandra Miranda, MPH,
Epidemiology and Investigation Office, HIV Surveillance Program, Puerto Rico Department of Health, San Juan, PR
Carola T. Sanchez, MS,
Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Puerto Rico, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Guaynabo, PR
Ileska Valencia-Torres,
Center for Evaluation and Sociomedical Research, University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, Caguas, PR
Yadira Rolon, MS,
Puerto Rico HIV Surveillance System, Department of Health, San Juan, PR
Vivian Colon, PhD, MPH,
Cancer Control and Population Sciences, University of PR Graduate School of Public Health and PR Cancer Center, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR
Background: HIV incidence, among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Puerto Rico (PR), has increased during the past years. Epidemiological and sociobehavioral factors among MSMs have been studied, but same-sex attraction disclosure to health care providers (HCP) remains poorly understood.
Objective: To examine the relation between sociodemographic, behavioral, and health-related characteristics with MSM disclosure of same-sex attraction to a HCP.
Methods: Male participants recruited on the 2011 PR National HIV Behavioral Surveillance who reported having at least 1 male sex partner in the past year. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relation between sociodemographic, behavioral, and health related characteristics with same-sex disclosure.
Results: A little over a half (53.3%) disclosed same-sex attraction to the HCP. Multivariate analysis showed that as age increases MSMs were 3.0% (OR: 1.03, 95%CI: 1.00-1.05) more likely to disclose to a HCP. Likewise, MSM’s aware of their partner’s serostatus were 66.0% more likely to disclose to a HCP (OR: 1.65, 95% CI: 1.04-2.64). A marginal association between disclosure and visiting a HCP in the last 12 months was observed (OR: 1.65, CI95%: 0.97-2.81).
Conclusions: Puerto Rican MSMs low prevalence of disclosure of same-sex attraction to HCPs might impact HIV screening, treatment, adherence, and engagement in care. Age and awareness of partner’s serostatus played an important role on the disclosure to a HCP. This highlights the need of developing multilevel efforts to promote disclosure of sexual orientation within the primary healthcare setting among the MSM population in Puerto Rico.
Learning Areas:
Epidemiology
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related public policy
Learning Objectives:
Describe the relation between sociodemographic, behavioral, and health-related characteristics with MSM disclosure of same-sex attraction to a HCP
Keyword(s): HIV/AIDS, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT)
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I possess a MPH in epidemiology and have been the director for the Puerto Rico (PR) HIV Surveillance system during the last 19 years. Also, for the last 13 years I have acted as the principal investigator of the PR National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system. My experience as a PI includes several projects for the PR Health Department involving access to care for IDU, medical monitoring, perinatal surveillance, comprehensive prevention planning, and capacity building
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
