title: Condom attitudes, perceived vulnerability, and sexual risk behaviors of young Latino male urban street gang members: implications for HIV prevention.
abstract: We examined condom attitudes, perceived vulnerability to HIV, HIV testing experiences, and sexual and substance use risk behaviors of 161 active Latino male gang members, aged 18-26 years old, living in Los Angeles, California. Gang members reported negative condom attitudes and a perceived vulnerability to HIV. The majority (53%) of gang members reported unprotected vaginal intercourse (UVI) in the previous 12 months. Multivariate analyses indicated that participants who engaged in the following behaviors were more likely to report UVI: had sex with someone they just met (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.66), received money or drugs for sex (AOR = 5.05), or had sex with someone who had a sexually transmitted disease (AOR = 4.99). Participants with a higher perceived vulnerability to HIV were less likely to report UVI (AOR = 0.82). Our findings offer implications for development of an HIV prevention intervention for Latino male gang members.
authors.affiliation: Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services, Semel Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. rbrooks@mednet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Ronald A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.forename: Sung-Jae
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Gabriel N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Stover
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Barkley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003268:Contraception Behavior; D003415:Crime; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010379:Peer Group; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult