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Latino men who have sex with men and HIV in the rural south-eastern USA: findings from ethnographic in-depth interviews |
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| Authors: | Scott D Rhodes Kenneth C Hergenrather Robert E Aronson Fred R Bloom Jesus Felizzola Mark Wolfson |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Division of Public Health Sciences , Wake Forest University School of Medicine , Winston-Salem, USA;2. Section on Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine , Wake Forest University School of Medicine , Winston-Salem, USA;3. The Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity, Wake Forest University School of Medicine , Winston-Salem, USA srhodes@wfubmc.edu;5. Department of Counseling and Human and Organizational Studies , Graduate School of Education and Human Development, The George Washington University , Washington, USA;6. Department of Public Health Education , University of North Carolina , Greensboro, USA;7. Division of STD Prevention , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta, USA;8. National Minority AIDS Education and Training Center , Washington, USA;9. Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Division of Public Health Sciences , Wake Forest University School of Medicine , Winston-Salem, USA |
| Abstract: | A community-based participatory research partnership explored HIV risk and potentially effective intervention characteristics to reduce exposure and transmission among immigrant Latino men who have sex with men living in the rural south-eastern USA. Twenty-one participants enrolled and completed a total of 62 ethnographic in-depth interviews. Mean age was 31 (range 18–48) years and English-language proficiency was limited; 18 participants were from Mexico. Four participants reported having sex with men and women during the past three months; two participants self-identified as male-to-female transgender. Qualitative themes that emerged included a lack of accurate information about HIV and prevention; the influence of social-political contexts to sexual risk; and barriers to healthcare services. We also identified eight characteristics of potentially effective interventions for HIV prevention. Our findings suggest that socio-political contexts must be additional targets of change to reduce and eliminate HIV health disparities experienced by immigrant Latino men who have sex with men. |
| Keywords: | gay men HIV prevention sexual behaviour latino USA |