Reducing AIDS Risk Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Salvador, Brazil

Even though men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to account for a high proportion of AIDS cases in Brazil, relatively few prevention programs have been designed for them. We developed, implemented, and measured the impact of such a program in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. This prospective cohort study used pre–post comparison to evaluate the impact of an intervention. We interviewed a cohort of 227 men recruited through snowball sampling before and up to 6 months after participating in brief AIDS prevention interventions. Knowledge and attitudes measures of HIV/AIDS and safer sex practices were raised and reported AIDS sexual risk behaviors declined after the intervention (all p values <.001). The proportion of men reporting unprotected anal intercourse in the prior month fell from 19% before the intervention to 1% after it. This study suggests that AIDS prevention activities designed for MSM in similar settings can be feasible and effective. More such prevention programs are urgently needed for MSM in developing countries such as Brazil.