The Disproportionality of HIV Transmission Among Black Men Who Have Sex with Men (BMSM): Recommendations for an Effective Prevention Model

Abstract

The Black community shoulders the heaviest HIV/AIDS burden of any racial or ethnic group in the United States, with Black men who have sex with men being the most impacted subpopulation (CDC, 2011). Health determinants (i.e., behavior, social environment, physical environment, and healthcare) of Black men who have sex with men are examined for consideration in the creation of innovative HIV prevention programs specific to the community. The only two intervention strategies targeting this population approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,Defend Yourself programs, are scrutinized, and the theoretical underpinnings of these evidence-based programs (i.e., social cognitive theory, diffusion of innovations) will be examined in order to recommend strategies for future interventions to reach greater numbers within the community.

Reconciling Reality With Fantasy: Exploration of the Sociocultural Factors Influencing HIV Transmission Among Black Young Men Who Have Sex With Men (BYMSM) Within the House Ball Community: A Chicago Study

“…The ability of practitioners to facilitate actions that take into account these challenges and are congruent with BYMSM’s values is necessary. This is consistent with previous research that highlights the need for a community-participatory action research approach for working with this community (Castillo et al, 2012; Kubicek et al, 2013 (a); Young & McLeod, 2013). …”

“…Hurt and colleagues (2012) demonstrated a dramatic increased risk of acquiring HIV once BYMSM entered an expansive sexual network made up of young MSM of color, suggesting the risk environment of these networks contributes to the ongoing epidemic among BYMSM. This is significant because researchers have highlighted the closed nature of these BYMSM’s sexual networks may be a result of discrimination or exclusion, which can increase the community’s HIV viral load (Young & McLeod, 2013). This also suggests that for many BYMSM their sexual networks may also overlap with their social networks.…”

Health care discrimination, sex behavior disclosure, and awareness of pre-exposure prophylaxis among Black men who have sex with men.

“…While there have been a number of clinical trials (e.g., Grant et al, 2010) that have demonstrated that PrEP—specifically, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine, or Truvada ® —is an efficacious HIV prevention option for MSM, it is concerning that there remains a limited understanding of PrEP awareness and uptake among BMSM. For example, PrEP use among BMSM, the sociodemographic group that is most heavily impacted by the U.S. HIV epidemic, continues to lag (Eaton et al, 2015; Millett, Peterson, Wolitski, & Stall, 2006; Young & McLeod, 2013). Furthermore, trials of PrEP among MSM tend to suffer from low representation of BMSM in their samples (Perez-Figueroa, Kapadia, Barton, Eddy, & Halkitis, 2015).…”

Careful Conversations and Careful Sex: HIV Posttesting Experiences Among African American Men in Rural Florida

“…13 Consistent with epidemiologic data showing men who have sex with men (MSM) to be disproportionately affected by HIV disease, most HIV prevention research efforts in black communities have focused on MSM. [14][15][16] The paucity of HIV prevention research with self-identified black, heterosexual men (BHM) has contributed to them being somewhat "invisible" in the domestic HIV epidemic. 17,18 Furthermore, studies conducted with BHM have been largely centered in settings such as correctional institutions, 19,20 clinics, 21 or urban settings.…”