HIV risk behaviors of Latin American and Caribbean men who have sex with men in Miami, Florida, USA Comportamientos de riesgo de infección por el VIH en hombres latinoamericanos y caribeños que tienen sexo con hombres en Miami, Florida, EUA

• Main Authors: Mete Akin, M. Isabel Fernández, G. Stephen Bowen, Jacob C. Warren
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Spanish; Portuguese
• Published: Pan American Health Organization 2008
• Subjects: Epidemiología; infecciones por VIH; asunción de riesgos; conducta sexual; América Latina; Región del Caribe; Estados Unidos de América; Epidemiology; HIV infections; risk taking; sexual behavior; Latin America and the Caribbean; United States of America; Medicine; R; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/43949d617f6b4c07b3588e36da260896

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to describe the sexual practices, drug use behaviors, psychosocial factors, and predictors of unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) in a sample of Hispanic men who have sex with men (MSM) born in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries who currently reside in Miami-Dade County, Florida. METHODS: Hispanic MSM (N = 566) recruited from community and Internet venues completed a computer-assisted self-interview assessing sociodemographic factors, drug use, sexual behaviors, and psychosocial factors. We focused on the 470 men who were born in LAC countries, including Puerto Rico. We first examined separately, by country of origin, the sexual practices, drug use behaviors, and psychosocial factors of the sample. We then collapsed the groups and examined the factors associated with UAI in the previous 6 months for the entire sample of Hispanic MSM from LAC countries. RESULTS: In the previous 6 months, 44% of the sample engaged in UAI, and 41% used club drugs. At the multivariate level, psychological distress, higher number of sexual partners, club drug use, HIV-positive status at the time of immigration, and greater orientation to American culture were significantly associated with UAI in the previous 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Many MSM born in LAC countries engage in HIV-related risk behaviors in the AIDS epicenter of Miami-Dade County, Florida. Culturally appropriate interventions should address these risk behaviors in this underserved population. OBJETIVO: Describir las prácticas sexuales, el consumo de drogas y los factores psicosociales y de predicción del coito anal sin protección (CASP), en una muestra de hombres nacidos en América Latina y el Caribe (ALC) residentes actualmente en el Condado de Miami-Dade, Florida, que tienen sexo con hombres. MÉTODOS: En total, 566 hispanos que tienen sexo con hombres (HSH), captados en la comunidad y sitios de Internet, completaron una encuesta autoaplicada por computadora que abordaba los factores socioeconómicos, el consumo de drogas, el ...