The proposed exploratory study is designed to investigate the social context of drinking and HIV risk behaviors in an understudied population -- Mexican American college students.
The specific aims of this research program are: 1) to identify the role of drinking in sexual risk taking; 2) to document and examine the cultural norms governing drinking and sexual behavior; 3) to understand the social context of drinking and sexual risk taking; and 4) to produce an ethnographic description of alcohol use and HIV risk behaviors among Mexican American college students.
These aims will be accomplished using a four phase qualitative research plan. A range of data collection procedures including unstructured and semistructured interviews, diaries, telephone interviews, and focus groups will be utilized to investigate the cultural domain of alcohol and HIV related sexual risk. A total of 80 subjects will be recruited to participate in this study - forty in each of two project years.
