Sociocultural Determinants of HIV/AIDS Risk and Service Use Among Immigrant Latinos in North Carolina

Abstract

Latinos in the United States have been disproportionately affected by the intersecting epidemics of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. Using a community-based participatory research approach to problem identification, the objective of this study is to explore sociocultural determinants of HIV/AIDS risk and service use among immigrant Latino men living with HIV/AIDS in North Carolina. In-depth key-informant interviews with stake-holders ( n = 8) and Latino men living with HIV/AIDS ( n = 10) were conducted. Major themes identified among Latino men living with HIV/AIDS are misconceptions about HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, intracommunity discrimination against individuals living with HIV, and feared discovery of their undocumented status. Further research is needed to reduce HIV risk and improve access to medical services among Latino men living with HIV/AIDS.

Barriers and Facilitators to HIV Testing in Migrants in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

“…A myriad of barriers and, to a lesser extent, facilitators to HIV testing exist across a number of different levels. Given this, HIV surveillance data may be under reporting HIV prevalence in migrants from LMICs in their high-income host countries [59]. It is evident that HIV testing in this population is complex.…”

Listening to Immigrant Latino Men in Rural Oregon

“…Using open-ended questions and listening to our participants allowed for complex and contextual themes to emerge among a group of men who are generally silent about sexual and reproductive health topics. Many of the themes men identified parallel those from the small body of research done thus far with immigrant Latino men (Bowden et al, 2006;Peak et al, 2010;Rhodes et al, 2007;Sable et al, 2006). Most notable, however, was the way in which nearly all these themes were grounded in a cultural context.…”

“…These findings support the accounts from many of our interviewees who reported little to no parental education about sexuality, STIs, or pregnancy. This lack of discussion in turn can lead to misinformation and knowledge gaps that are difficult to identify and correct (Bowden et al, 2006). Sexual silence has, therefore, direct implications for men as they seek and access SRHS.…”

“…Of those, one was limited to men's use of family planning services in a medium-sized Midwestern community (Sable, Campbell, Brandt, & Dannerbeck, 2006), whereas another included barriers to care in their exploration of determinants of HIV risk among Latinos in urban North Carolina (Rhodes et al, 2007). A third study (Bowden et al, 2006) looked at determinants of SRHS for men living with HIV, also in urban North Carolina. No studies to our knowledge have addressed issues faced by immigrant Latino men related to access and utilization of SRHS in rural communities in the Pacific Northwest.…”

“…Several studies have identified factors that affect Latino immigrants' access to and utilization of health care services including the high cost of services (Kalmuss & Austrian, 2010;Maternowska et al, 2010;Peak, Gast, & Ahlstrom, 2010), the lack of health insurance (Cristancho, Garces, Peters, & Mueller, 2008;Kalmuss & Austrian, 2010;Peak et al, 2010), communication difficulties (Cristancho et al, 2008;Holbert, Rumptz, & Drach, 2009;Peak et al, 2010;Rhodes et al, 2007), fears of discrimination and stigma (Bowden, Rhodes, Wilkin, & Jolly, 2006;Holbert et al, 2009;Kalmuss & Austrian, 2010;Maternowska et al, 2010;Rhodes et al, 2007), the lack of time to seek services (Holbert et al, 2009), the prevalence of misinformation (Rhodes et al, 2007), and lack of knowledge about available services (Bowden et al, 2006;Holbert et al, 2009;Rhodes et al, 2007). Few studies have specifically examined the challenges to serving immigrant Latino men's SRHS needs.…”