Nemoto T, Operario D, Ng T, Soma T; International Conference on AIDS (15th : 2004 : Bangkok, Thailand).

Int Conf AIDS. 2004 Jul 11-16; 15: abstract no. WePeC6125.

University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States

Background: The incidence of HIV among Asian Pacific Islander (API) men who have sex with men (MSM) continues to rise in the United States, yet there exist no known secondary HIV prevention and health promotion interventions addressing API MSM who are HIV-positive. Method: Forty HIV-positive API MSM participated in a weekend-long (2 day) structured group intervention. The intervention was based on principles from the community empowerment model, social cognitive theory, and transtheoretical theory of behavior change. Intervention activities and discussions addressed cultural issues related to HIV risk and sexual behavior, ethnic and sexual identity, disclosure of HIV status, social support, and utilization of health and social services. Participants described their HIV-related risk behaviors during the past 3 months through surveys completed at baseline and at 3 month post-intervention follow-up. Results: At baseline, 73% of the sample engaged in unprotected insertive anal sex, 57% engaged in unprotected receptive anal sex, 40% did not discuss safer sex with partners, and 20% did not ask their partners' HIV status. At follow-up, we found significant decreases in the proportion of men who had engaged in unprotected insertive anal sex (55%, p<.05), did not discuss safer sex with partners (25%, p<.05), and did not ask their partners' HIV status (6%, p<.05). Conclusion Preliminary findings from this community-based HIV prevention intervention for API HIV-positive MSM reveal trends in the reduction of some sexual risk behaviors (significant reductions for unprotected insertive, but not unprotected receptive, anal sex), accompanied by an increase in discussion of safer sex and HIV status with sexual partners. Culturally specific and community-relevant secondary HIV prevention programs may be an effective way to reduce the HIV risk behaviors among API HIV-positive MSM.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Asian Americans
• Asian Continental Ancestry Group
• HIV Infections
• HIV Seropositivity
• Humans
• Incidence
• Male
• Oceanic Ancestry Group
• Risk-Taking
• Safe Sex
• Sexual Behavior
• Sexual Partners
• United States
• methods

Other ID:

• GWAIDS0039828

UI: 102284044

From Meeting Abstracts