Condom use and hip hop culture: the case of urban young men in New York City.
OBJECTIVE
We explored how young men's perceptions of and participation in hip hop culture--urban social and artistic expressions, such as clothing style, breakdancing, graffiti, and rap music--and how contextual factors of the hip hop scene may be associated with their condom use, condom-use self-efficacy, and sense of community.


METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 95 African American and Latino men aged 15 to 25 years as part of a 4-year ethnographic study in New York City.


RESULTS
Differences in young men's perceptions of and levels of affiliation with hip hop culture were not statistically associated with differences in their sense of community or condom-use self-efficacy. Frequency of participation in the hip hop nightclub scene was the strongest factor negatively associated with condom use.


CONCLUSIONS
Popular discourses on young men's health risks often blame youths' cultures such as the hip hop culture for increased risk practices but do not critically examine how risk emerges in urban young men's lives and what aspects of youths' culture can be protective. Further research needs to focus on contextual factors of risk such as the role of hip hop nightlife on increased HIV risk.
Muñoz-Laboy
Miguel A
MA
Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th St, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10032, USA. mam172@columbia.edu
Castellanos
Daniel H
DH
Haliburton
Chanel S
CS
del Aguila
Ernesto Vasquez
EV
Weinstein
Hannah J
HJ
Parker
Richard G
RG
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009146:Music; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D021841:Safe Sex; D012725:Sexual Behavior