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Showing posts with label African American Men Who Have Sex with Men. Show all posts
Showing posts with label African American Men Who Have Sex with Men. Show all posts
Monday, February 29, 2016
Saturday, February 6, 2016
Sexual Networks and HIV Risk among Black Men Who Have Sex with Men in 6 U.S. Cities
Background
Sexual networks may
place U.S. Black men who have sex with men (MSM) at increased HIV risk.
Methods
Self-reported egocentric
sexual network data from the prior six months were collected from 1,349
community-recruited Black MSM in HPTN 061, a multi-component HIV prevention
intervention feasibility study. Sexual network composition, size, and density
(extent to which members are having sex with one another) were compared by
self-reported HIV serostatus and age of the men. GEE models assessed network
and other factors associated with having a Black sex partner, having a partner
with at least two age category difference (age difference between participant
and partner of at least two age group categories), and having
serodiscordant/serostatus unknown unprotected anal/vaginal intercourse (SDUI)
in the last six months.
Results
Over half had
exclusively Black partners in the last six months, 46% had a partner of at
least two age category difference, 87% had ≤5 partners. Nearly 90% had sex
partners who were also part of their social networks. Among HIV-negative men,
not having anonymous/exchange/ trade partners and lower density were associated
with having a Black partner; larger sexual network size and having non-primary
partners were associated with having a partner with at least two age category
difference; and having anonymous/exchange/ trade partners was associated with
SDUI. Among HIV-positive men, not having non-primary partners was associated
with having a Black partner; no sexual network characteristics were associated
with having a partner with at least two age category difference and SDUI.
Conclusions
Black MSM sexual
networks were relatively small and often overlapped with the social networks.
Sexual risk was associated with having non-primary partners and larger network
size. Network interventions that engage the social networks of Black MSM, such
as interventions utilizing peer influence, should be developed to address
stable partnerships, number of partners, and serostatus disclosure.
Sex Partner Characteristics, Condom Use, and HIV Serostatus Disclosure of Community-Recruited Black MSM, Partner-Level Data (N = 4,449 Partners).
| Characteristic, n (%)a | Total | Self-Reported HIV-Positive Participant | Self-Reported HIV-Negative Participant | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Partner Level | ||||
| Gender of sex partners | <0.01 | |||
| Male | 3464 (78) | 308 (92) | 3156 (77) | |
| Female | 800 (18) | 18 (5) | 782 (19) | |
| Transgender | 172 (4) | 7 (2) | 165 (4) | |
| Partner type | <0.01 | |||
| Primary partner | 707 (16) | 80 (24) | 627 (15) | |
| Steady, non-primary partner/casual partner | 3003 (68) | 210 (63) | 2793 (68) | |
| Exchange or trade partner/anonymous partner | 716 (16) | 42 (13) | 674 (16) | |
| HIV serostatus of sex partners | <0.01 | |||
| Among all participants (N = 4446 partners): | 2284 (51) | 67 (20) | 2217 (54) | |
| HIV-negative | 311 (7) | 142 (43) | 169 (4) | |
| HIV-positive | 1841 (41) | 124 (37) | 1717 (42) | |
| HIV serostatus of sex partners | <0.01 | |||
| Among participants age 18–30 years (N = 1659 partners): | 1023 (62) | 17 (23) | 1006 (63) | |
| HIV-negative | 66 (4) | 22 (30) | 44 (3) | |
| HIV-positive | 570 (34) | 35 (47) | 535 (34) | |
| HIV serostatus of sex partners | <0.01 | |||
| Among participants age 31+ years (N = 2777 partners): | 1261 (45) | 50 (19) | 1211 (48) | |
| HIV-negative | 245 (9) | 120 (46) | 125 (5) | |
| HIV-positive | 1271 (46) | 89 (34) | 1182 (47) | |
| Frequency of condom use with sex in past 6 months (N = 4361 partners) | 0.01 | |||
| Never | 1899 (44) | 171 (52) | 1728 (43) | |
| Sometimes | 740 (17) | 52 (16) | 688 (17) | |
| Most of the time | 398 (9) | 18 (5) | 380 (9) | |
| Always | 1324 (30) | 88 (27) | 1236 (31) | |
| Disclosure of HIV status to sex partners by self-reported HIV-positive participants (N = 309 partners) | - | - | - | |
| No | 106 (34) | |||
| Yes | 191 (62) | |||
| Don’t know/refused to answer | 12 (4) |
Numbers may not add up to column total due to missing data.
a P-value <0.05 for all variables compared by study city. Site-specific differences may be reflective of different recruitment strategies used by the study sites, rather than of overall differences between cities.
Full article at:
By:
William M. Switzer, Editor
1Laboratory of Infectious Disease
Prevention, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New
York, NY, United States of America
2Division of Infectious Diseases,
Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY,
United States of America
3Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division,
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States of America
4Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory
School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
5Bridge HIV, San Francisco Department of
Public Health, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
6Department of Human Development, State
University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, United States of America
7Faculty of Humanities, University of
Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
8Department of Epidemiology, School of
Public Health, Division of InfectiousDiseases, David Geffen School of Medicine,
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States of
America
9Fenway Community Health Center, Boston,
MA, United States of America
10FHI 360, Research Triangle Park, NC,
United States of America
11Division of AIDS, National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD,
United States of America
12The George Washington University School of
Public Health and Health Services, Department of Epidemiology and
Biostatistics, Washington, DC, United States of America
13Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
14Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, UNITED STATES
Competing Interests: The
authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Conceived and designed the experiments: HVT BAK CL.
Performed the experiments: HVT TYL LW SB LW PG KM SG CK VE GP VC BAK CL.
Analyzed the data: HVT TYL LW MC BAK CL. Wrote the paper: HVT SH BAK CL.
* E-mail: gro.retnecdoolbyn@ueith
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Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Concordance of Demographic Characteristics, Sexual Behaviors, and Relationship Attributes among Sex Dyads of Black and White Men Who Have Sex with Men
Differences in individual
behaviors have failed to explain racial disparities between Black and White men
who have sex with men (MSM). However, reporting of behaviors and partner
characteristics are assumed to be non-differentially reported by race.
From 314 participants, this study used the two-sided data-where sexual partners provide information on each other and their relationship-of 127 dyads of Black and White MSM from Atlanta, GA, to assess the reliability of partner-reported demographic characteristics and the concordance of sexual behaviors and partnership attributes by race.
We compared proportions of concordance by race using a modified kappa (K m) to assess chance-corrected agreement. The median difference in age between self- and partner-reports was 0 (0-1) years.
Compared to self-reports, 97 % of the partners of Black participants and 96 % of the partners of White participants correctly classified their race. We observed poor agreement on pre-sexual discussion (K m = 0.18) and being in an ongoing relationship (K m = 0.13), with no differences by race (p = 0.11).
Although not statistically significant, Black MSM dyads had lower levels of concordance for unprotected anal intercourse in the previous 12 months (68 %) compared to White dyads (90 %), with fair agreement among Black dyads (K m = 0.26).
Measures of partner-reported age and race are likely accurate; however, certain self-reported sexual behaviors and partnership attributes may be unreliable and differentially reported by race.
Our findings highlight the need to assess the validity of measures used to estimate HIV transmission and inform racial disparities research.
From 314 participants, this study used the two-sided data-where sexual partners provide information on each other and their relationship-of 127 dyads of Black and White MSM from Atlanta, GA, to assess the reliability of partner-reported demographic characteristics and the concordance of sexual behaviors and partnership attributes by race.
We compared proportions of concordance by race using a modified kappa (K m) to assess chance-corrected agreement. The median difference in age between self- and partner-reports was 0 (0-1) years.
Compared to self-reports, 97 % of the partners of Black participants and 96 % of the partners of White participants correctly classified their race. We observed poor agreement on pre-sexual discussion (K m = 0.18) and being in an ongoing relationship (K m = 0.13), with no differences by race (p = 0.11).
Although not statistically significant, Black MSM dyads had lower levels of concordance for unprotected anal intercourse in the previous 12 months (68 %) compared to White dyads (90 %), with fair agreement among Black dyads (K m = 0.26).
Measures of partner-reported age and race are likely accurate; however, certain self-reported sexual behaviors and partnership attributes may be unreliable and differentially reported by race.
Our findings highlight the need to assess the validity of measures used to estimate HIV transmission and inform racial disparities research.
Purchase full article at: http://goo.gl/AA7O5f
By:
- 1Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University (http://www.sph.emory.edu/), Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA. alfonso.claudio.hernandez@emory.edu.
- 2Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
- 3Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
More at: https://twitter.com/hiv insight
Friday, January 8, 2016
HIV Testing Patterns among Urban YMSM of Color
The heightened level of risk
for HIV infection among African-American and Latino young men who have sex with
men (YMSM) is driven by multi-level influences. \
Using cross-sectional data, we
examined HIV testing patterns among urban YMSM of color in a high HIV
sero-prevalence area (ages 16 to 21 years). Self-reported frequency of testing
was high with 42% of youth reporting testing at a greater frequency than
recommended guidelines. There were no differences between less frequent and
high frequent testers on sexual risk behaviors. Most (80%) youth cited
reassurance of HIV-negative status as a reason for testing. Further, over half
of the sample reported numerous other reasons for HIV testing, which spanned
individual, partner, social, and structural levels of influence. Approximately
half of respondents indicated that peers, family members, and counselors
influenced their motivation to get tested. Of concern, youths’ first HIV test
occurred approximately two years after their first sexual experience with
another male.
These results indicate the need to consider developmental issues
as well as for comprehensive, multi-level efforts to ensure that YMSM of color
test at the CDC-recommended frequency, but not less than this or too frequently.
Reasons for HIV Testing by HIV Testing Frequency
| Minimum Frequency HIV Testers % (N = 43) | High Frequency HIV Testers % (N = 37) | Total % (N = 80) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual Influences | |||
| Want to be reassured not HIV positive (n = 79) | 73.8 | 83.8 | 78.5 |
| Feel anxious or worried about being HIV positive (n = 80) | 48.8 | 64.9 | 56.3 |
| Feel at risk due to own behavior * (n = 80) | 37.2 | 62.1 | 48.8 |
| Diagnosed with an STD (n = 79) | 31.0 | 37.8 | 34.2 |
| Wanted to stop using condoms (n = 80) | 25.6 | 40.5 | 32.5 |
| Want to have children† (n = 80) | 16.3 | 35.1 | 25.0 |
| Partner Level Influences | |||
| Have a new sexual partner (n = 80) | 46.5 | 54.1 | 50.0 |
| My partner’s sexual behavior | 42.9 | 54.1 | 48.1 |
| Suspect my partner is HIV positive† (n = 79) | 35.7 | 56.8 | 45.6 |
| A new partner asked† (n = 80) | 20.9 | 37.8 | 28.8 |
| Risk from my partner’s HIV status (n = 79) | 19.0 | 32.4 | 25.3 |
| Risk from my partner’s drug use (n = 79) | 19.0 | 21.6 | 20.3 |
| Might have exposed partner to HIV (n = 79) | 11.9 | 24.3 | 17.7 |
| Social Influences | |||
| Friends or family members were getting tested * (n = 80) | 34.9 | 62.2 | 47.5 |
| Friends or family were HIV positive (n = 80) | 11.6 | 24.3 | 17.5 |
| Structural Influences | |||
| A counselor or other professional suggested (n = 80) | 48.8 | 56.8 | 53.8 |
| Offered as part of my regular medical care† (n = 79) | 58.1 | 38.9 | 49.4 |
| Research study (n = 80) | 20.9 | 27.0 | 23.8 |
| Received a stipend (n = 80) | 20.9 | 27.0 | 21.3 |
| In foster care (n = 80) | 9.3 | 18.9 | 13.8 |
*p < .05.
†p < .10
Full article at:
By:
Noelle R. Leonard, New York University, College of Nursing;
Noelle R. Leonard: ude.uyn@4lrn
More at: https://twitter.com/hiv
insight
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Rationale, Design & Methods of the Ecological Study of Sexual Behaviors & HIV/STI among African American Men Who Have Sex with Men in the Southeastern United States (The MARI Study)
BACKGROUND:
METHODS:
RESULTS:
CONCLUSION:
Full article at:
By:
- 1Center for Research, Evaluation and Environmental & Policy Change, My Brother's Keeper, Inc, 510 George Street, Unit 100, Jackson, MS, United States of America.
- 2Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39213, United States of America.
- 3R.E.D. Institute, AID Atlanta, Inc., 1605 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309, United States of America.
- 4Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, 227 E 30th Street Room 621, New York, NY, 10016, United States of America.
- 5Center for Community-Based Programs, My Brother's Keeper, Inc, 710 Avignon Drive, Ridgeland, MS, United States of America.
More at: https://twitter.com/hiv
insight
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