This research continues and expands our analysis of the interaction between gender, migration, and HIV risks among Hispanics. Despite advances in controlling the diffusion of HIV among the general population of the U.S., the epidemic remains a serious threat to the Hispanic community. There is also evidence of the disease spreading across migrant sending areas in Latin America. Even though the relationship between Latin American migration and the HIV/AIDS epidemic is increasingly evident, a lack of systematic information about the social processes fueling the diffusion of the disease has limited the development of successful interventions. Moreover, it is unclear how migration and gender dimensions interact to affect HIV risks among migrants and how these factors vary across national origin groups. We argue that a key to understanding HIV risks among migrant groups lies in the intersection of gender, culture, and migration. Our theoretical framework integrates migration into the Theory of Gender and Power to understand the gender and migration related factors affecting sexual risk behaviors among the Hispanic population.
The specific aims are to: 1) Compare prevalent sexual behaviors among Hispanic migrants in Durham, NC and their counterparts in sending communities. 2) Identify and compare the impact of migration on the gender structures of labor, power, and cathexis. 3) Model empirically the gender and migration related determinants of sexual behaviors. 4) Explicitly compare the relationship between gender, migration, and HIV risk across the Mexican and Honduran populations to evaluate the heterogeneity of Hispanic groups. 5) Construct and refine a data-derived, culture, gender, and national-origin specific model of sexual behavior in collaboration with community members to inform HIV interventions for at-risk Hispanic migrants. Data for the analysis will come from a tri-national survey conducted in Durham, NC and sibling communities in Honduras and Mexico, supplemented with in depth interviews in the U.S. Relevance: Understanding the social factors affecting HIV risk behaviors among Hispanics is a major public health concern, with important implications for containing the spread of HIV across the Americas. Findings from the study will provide culturally grounded and reliable information on gender, migration, and sexual behavior vital for the development of successful HIV interventions targeting Hispanic groups.
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