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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Matt G. Mutchler, PhD1, Lee Klosinski, PhD2, Uyen Bui, MPH1, Summra Shariff1, Miguel Chion, MD, MPH1, and Nancy Wongvipat, MPH1. (1) Education, AIDS Project Los Angeles, 3550 Wilshire, #300, Los Angeles, CA 90010, 213.201.1522, mmutchler@apla.org, (2) Programs, AIDS Project Los Angeles, 3550 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90010
Background: Failure to disclose HIV status can place sexual partners of HIV+ individuals at risk of HIV infection. Yet, very little is known about the factors that predict HIV status disclosure. Our objective is to identify predictors of HIV status disclosure among HIV+ men who have sex with men (MSM). Methods: The study design is a cross sectional survey mailed to clients of a large non-profit organization serving PLWA. The outcome variable was disclosing HIV status to male casual sexual partners (N=558). Independent variables included demographics, STD/HIV attitudes and beliefs, sexual risk behaviors, and sexual contexts. SPSS 10.1 software was used to run frequency distributions, cross-tabulations, and multiple regression. Significance was assigned at the p<.05 level. Results: 37.8% of respondents reported that they always disclose. 69.1% reported UAI with partners whose HIV status was unknown to the participant. Being single, speaking English, believing that one has a responsibility to disclose, reporting always asking the HIV status of sexual partners, not attending bathhouses, and not having UAI with sexual partners whose HIV status was unknown predicted disclosure to male casual sexual partners. Conclusions: Understanding predictors of HIV status disclosure by HIV+ MSM is essential for strategic planning of risk reduction interventions. Such interventions need to address attitudes and beliefs regarding one’s responsibility to disclose and ask about HIV and sexual contexts of non-disclosure and should target individuals who are married or in significant relationships, report having sex with partners of unknown HIV status, and do not speak English.
Learning Objectives: Learning objectives
Keywords: HIV Risk Behavior, HIV Interventions
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.