Homosexuality Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Homosexuality, including details on causes, biology, signs, statistics, trends.

Public health responses to the HIV epidemic among black men who have sex with men: A qualitative study of US health departments and communities.

Wilson PA, Moore TE

Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. pw2219@columbia.edu

In the United States, Black men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. Thus, there is a need to understand the challenges facing health departments and community-based organizations responding to the HIV epidemic among this population. We interviewed 71 AIDS program directors, health department staff, and leaders of community-based organizations in 9 states and the District of Columbia. Participants identified psychosocial factors, a lack of capacity-building efforts, and stigma as barriers to HIV prevention responses targeting Black MSM. Participants identified culturally competent staff and culturally sensitive interventions as facilitating prevention responses. To ensure that HIV/AIDS interventions targeting Black MSM are effective, it is imperative to solicit the perceptions of frontline workers in health departments and community-based organizations.

Published 11 May 2009 in Am J Public Health, 99(6): 1013-22.
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