The proposed study will assess the individual, situational, and community influences on the sexual risk behaviors of African American men who have sex with men (MSM).
The specific aims of the study are: (1) to identify the social networks, social contacts, and sources of contact among African American MSM; (2) to assess the influence of sexual behaviors, homosexual identification, cultural influences (e.g., African American cultural values, experiences of racism, church involvement, social concerns), and the sense of community as facilitators or impediments to risk reduction behaviors; and (3) to compare and contrast rural southern African American MSM with urban southern African American MSM in regard to issues specific to each group. The Community Identification (CID) Process, a formative research strategy for investigating underserved populations will be used. Rural African American MSM will be the key participants in the study. Other participants will also be interviewed who have either formal or informal contacts with the key participants as service providers, friends, and/or gatekeepers to the group of key participants. The findings of this study will address two major concerns. First, the high risk of HIV infection among African American MSM warrants that risk reduction interventions be developed which are useful for primary prevention of HIV/AIDS. Second, these findings will allow us to identify the potential approaches to access African American MSM for later descriptive and intervention research.
