Evaluating Locally Developed Homegrown HIV Prevention Interventions

In Los Angeles County, as well as nationally, the primary mode of HIV transmission for African American men is sexual contact with another man. According to national data from 45 states with name-based HIV surveillance in 2006, the majority of all new HIV infections among African American males were associated with sex with other men. The disproportionate impact of HIV in AAMSM in Los Angeles County is also observed in provisional HIV surveillance data. Between 2002 and 2004, AAMSM composed 16.3% of the new HIV diagnoses among males in Los Angeles County, with an average annual HIV diagnosis rate 2.0 and 2.5 times greater than the rates of new HIV diagnosis for White and Latino MSM, respectively. In addition to demonstrating the highest HIV prevalence and incidence estimates, AAMSM also had the highest proportion of previously unrecognized HIV infection (67%) compared with all other racial/ethnic groups. Given significant and continuing disparities in HIV infection among African Americans in the United States, and specifically among AAMSM, more intervention programs must be planned, implemented, and tested in order to reduce the heavy toll of HIV/AIDS in this population. Components of these intervention programs must be culturally competent and should include promotion of HIV counseling and testing to reduce the high prevalence of unrecognized HIV infection in AAMSM. Interventions should also take into consideration the many co-factors that may hinder AAMSM from addressing their HIV risk such as racism, poverty, stigma, and homophobia. The MyLife MyStyle Evaluation Project aims to implement and evaluate the efficacy of a "homegrown" group-level intervention to reduce HIV risk (unprotected anal sex with male partners) among young African American MSM in Los Angeles County, CA.