HIV seroprevalence and seroincidence rates have reached catastrophic levels among young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM). Black MSM are also tested less frequently for HIV and are less likely to be aware of their HIV-positive serostatus than other MSM. Clearly, HIV prevention methods currently used to reach YBMSM are not effective. The Mpowerment Project is the only community-level HIV prevention intervention developed specifically for young gay/bisexual men that has been shown to have evidence of effectiveness in reducing the proportion of men reporting unprotected anal sex. However, Black CBOs are reluctant to implement the Mpowerment Project until it has been adapted to the context of YBMSM's lives and its efficacy in reducing rates of unprotected sex and increasing HIV antibody testing rates have been established Therefore, the developers of the Mpowerment Project have spent five years tailoring the intervention to the socioeconomic, cultural, and social context of YBMSM's lives through formative, qualitative research with HIV-positive and HIV-negative YBMSM and through collaborative research with three Black CBOs and two Boards of Cultural Experts, comprised of Black gay/same gender-loving men. The primary goal of this project is to test the efficacy of the tailored Mpowerment Project in reducing sexual risk behavior and increasing testing among YBMSM.
The specific aims of this study are: (1) To implement the tailored Mpowerment Project for two years in one community (Atlanta, GA), and use a second community (Houston, TX) as a control that will not receive the intervention;(2) To conduct cross-sectional surveys of YBMSM before and after the intervention in both communities using venue-based day-time-space sampling to determine the efficacy of the intervention in: (a) reducing the proportion and frequency of sexual behaviors that are likely to transmit HIV, including reducing the number of sex partners;(b) increasing the proportion of men who know their HIV serostatus;(c) modifying psychosocial mediating variables that may be causally related to HIV risk reduction;and (d) changing psychosocial factors that are indicators of positive mental health and well-being;(3) To conduct process evaluations of the intervention to assess how the tailored Mpowerment Project is implemented and to assess the perceptions of the project at both the individual- and community-level. We will also look for changes in sexually transmitted infection rates in both communities.

Project Start
2006-09-01
Project End
2011-08-31
Budget Start
2009-09-01
Budget End
2011-08-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$400,000
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California San Francisco
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
094878337
City
San Francisco
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94143
Tan, Judy Y; Pollack, Lance; Rebchook, Greg et al. (2018) The Role of the Primary Romantic Relationship in HIV Care Engagement Outcomes Among Young HIV-Positive Black Men Who Have Sex with Men. AIDS Behav 22:774-790
Carrico, Adam W; Storholm, Erik David; Flentje, Annesa et al. (2017) Spirituality/religiosity, substance use, and HIV testing among young black men who have sex with men. Drug Alcohol Depend 174:106-112
Scott, Hyman M; Pollack, Lance; Rebchook, Gregory M et al. (2014) Peer social support is associated with recent HIV testing among young black men who have sex with men. AIDS Behav 18:913-20
Huebner, David M; Kegeles, Susan M; Rebchook, Gregory M et al. (2014) Social oppression, psychological vulnerability, and unprotected intercourse among young Black men who have sex with men. Health Psychol 33:1568-78