Do beliefs about HIV treatments affect peer norms and risky sexual behaviour among African-American men who have sex with men? Int J STD AIDS 2007 Feb;18(2):105-8
Date
03/03/2007Pubmed ID
17331282DOI
10.1258/095646207779949637Scopus ID
2-s2.0-33847202557 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 22 CitationsAbstract
We examined the association between perceptions about condom use among one's peers, beliefs about new HIV treatments, and HIV sexual risk behaviour among 849 young African-American men who have sex with men (MSM). Participants were randomly recruited from and anonymously interviewed in community venues in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, in cross-sectional samples between 1999 and 2002. Data analyses indicated that 30% of the sample reported unprotected anal intercourse in the past three months; stronger peer condom norms predicted less-frequent risky sexual behaviour. However, the belief in less threat of HIV because of HIV treatments was not associated with either risky sexual behaviour or peer norms, and peer norms did not mediate the association between HIV treatment beliefs and unprotected anal intercourse. These findings suggest that changing peer norms for condom use may reduce HIV risky sex in African-American MSM, regardless of their beliefs about HIV drug treatments.
Author List
Bakeman R, Peterson JL, Community Intervention Trial for Youth Study TeamAuthor
Jeffrey A. Kelly PhD Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentAdult
Condoms
Georgia
HIV Infections
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Homosexuality, Male
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Male
Peer Group
Risk-Taking
Sexual Behavior
Social Behavior
