HIV risk behaviors of Latin American and Caribbean men who have sex with men in Miami, Florida, USA.
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.
Nova Southeastern University, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Lauderdale 33328-2018, Florida, United States of America. akin@nova.edu
Mete
M
Akin
M Isabel
MI
Fernández
G Stephen
GS
Bowen
Jacob C
JC
Warren
D000069:Acculturation; D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D003075:Coitus; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D006293:Health Promotion; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D011584:Psychology; D012309:Risk-Taking; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014900:West Indies / Q000208:ethnology