title: Epidemiologic data on young men of color who have sex with men.
abstract: Young men of color who have sex with men (YMSM of color) have been disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States. Between 2001 and 2006, HIV/AIDS diagnoses increased 93.1% among African-American MSM aged 13-24 and 45.8% among Latino MSM aged 13-24. Many multisite studies have yielded valuable information on the behaviors associated with HIV infection in adolescents, MSM, African-Americans, and Latinos. Studies among adolescents found a high prevalence of risky sexual behaviors, including having multiple partners and unprotected intercourse and frequent substance use. Multisite studies of MSM also found frequent reports of alcohol and drug abuse, and one study found that nearly one-half (48%) of HIV-positive MSM were unaware of their infection. Similarly, two multisite studies of YMSM found high rates of unprotected sex, substance use, and HIV-infection among YMSM of color. Recognizing these challenges, the HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) funded the first multisite study to improve engagement, linkage to HIV care, and retention in care for HIV-positive YMSM of color. The objective of this article is to review the epidemiologic data on HIV-positive YMSM of color from surveillance and multisite studies in order to identify the needs of this population and the gaps in the literature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Washington, District of Columbia 20037, USA. gregory.phillips@gwumc.edu
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wohl
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xavier
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hidalgo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012306:Risk; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult