Young Latino migrantmen who have sex with men are at high risk for HIV infection. The Popular Opinion Leader intervention, shown to be effective with White gay men, was adapted by the Farmworker Justice Fund, Inc., for this Latino migrant population. This project, called the Young Latino Promotores, was implemented over a 2-year period by community-based organizations in Vista, California, and McAllen, Texas, with capacity building assistance from the Farmworker Justice Fund, Inc. We report on challenges, preliminary findings, and lessons learned from adapting this intervention.

As the HIV/AIDS epidemic neared the end of its first decade in the late 1980s, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognized the disparate impact on racial and ethnic minority communities. In response, a program was initiated to build capacity to prevent the further spread of HIV and other STDs in these communities. Since that time, the program has expanded in scope, intensity of efforts, and funding. Today, the CDC's Capacity Building Assistance (CBA) Initiative serves communities across the nation by building community, organizational, and HIV prevention program/intervention capacity designed to reduce the number of new HIV infections among at-risk populations. This article focuses on the history and evolution of these efforts, lessons learned, and how these were used to develop the current, more responsive system. A conceptual framework is presented that describes the taxonomy of CBA services designed to (1) enhance organizational infrastructure; (2) enhance HIV prevention interventions; (3) strengthen community capacity; and (4) strengthen community planning. It includes language and definitions, approaches and mechanisms for delivering capacity-building services, and a Web-based request-and-referral system that serves as the foundation for tracking, monitoring, and ensuring the delivery of appropriate, efficient, and culturally competent CBA.

OBJECTIVES: We used data from national surveys to measure the rate of HIV testing in the general US population and among persons at increased behavioral risk and summarized what has been learned about HIV testing from these surveys. METHODS: Three nationally representative surveys were used: the National Health Interview Survey for 1987 through 1995, the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth, and the 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. These surveys asked about HIV testing experience and behavioral risks for HIV. Rates of testing were computed for all persons, including those at increased risk for HIV. RESULTS: From 1987 to 1995, the percentage of adults ever tested increased from 16% to 40%. The 3 surveys were consistent with one another, and all showed much higher rates of testing for persons at increased risk for HIV. CONCLUSIONS: Surveys have provided information on HIV testing that is not available elsewhere, including rates of testing from private sources and public programs. Efforts to measure HIV testing and its correlates should continue and should be improved to provide information essential for effective programs.