May 12, 2017
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Educational intervention increases condom use, HIV testing in Hispanic MSM

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An intervention aimed at reducing HIV risk behaviors among Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men improved rates of condom use and HIV testing, study data showed.

“Among Hispanics/Latinos in the United States and six dependent areas, men accounted for 85% of new HIV diagnoses in 2013, 81% of which were attributed to male-to-male sex,” Scott D. Rhodes, PhD, MPH, chair of social sciences and health policy and director of the Program in Community Engagement at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues wrote. “If current HIV diagnosis rates persist, one in four Hispanic/Latino MSM may be diagnosed with HIV during his lifetime. Despite the impact of HIV on Hispanic/Latino MSM, only one evidence-based behavioral HIV prevention intervention has been identified for use with them.”

The researchers randomly assigned 304 Hispanic or Latino MSM from North Carolina to the HOLA en Grupos intervention, a four-session educational intervention, or an  general health education intervention comparison group. All men in the study were aged 18 to 55 years. Rhodes and colleagues assessed participants at baseline and at 6 months of follow-up. The retention rate for the study was 100%.

At 6 months after the intervention, participants who had been randomly assigned to HOLA en Grupos reported increased condom use, increasing from 33.3% at baseline to 65% (adjusted OR = 4.1; 95% CI, 2.2-7.9), whereas there was no significant change among participants assigned to the comparison group, the researchers reported. HIV testing also increased among intervention participants, from 32.45% at baseline to 80.26%, compared with increasing from 27.63% to 31.58% in comparison group participants (a OR = 13.8; 95% CI, 7.6-25.3), Rhodes and colleagues wrote. The researchers reported that those who participated in HOLA en Grupos also showed an increased knowledge of HIV (P < .001), condom use skills (P < .001), self-efficacy (P < .001), expectancies (P < .001), intentions (P < .001), sexual communication skills (P < .01) and decreased fatalism (P < .001).

“We found that we can prevent HIV infection among a very hard-to-reach and growing population in the South,” Rhodes said in a press release accompanying the study. “This has significant public health ramifications because we’ve learned how to reach people at high risk and reduce infection rates. We’ve developed a guide on how to implement the program so it should be easy to replicate in other states.” – by Andy Polhamus

Disclosure: Infectious Disease News could not confirm relevant financial disclosures at the time of publication.