 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Lisa M. Kuhns, MPH1, Jesus Ramirez-Valles, PhD, MPH2, and Carlos Cantu, BS1. (1) School of Public Health/Health Research and Policy Centers, University of Illinois at Chicago, 850 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60607, 312-355-4780, lisak@uic.edu, (2) Community Health Sciences, University of Illinois-Chicago School of Public Health, m/c 923, 1603 W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL 60612-4394
Community involvement (volunteerism, activism) has played a central role in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The aims of this study were to: 1) examine the motives for HIV/AIDS-related community involvement of Latino gay men and 2) develop a measure to test these motives. Community-wide recruitment was used to select a convenience sample of 80 community-involved Latino gay men (40 Chicago, 40 San Francisco); semi-structured life history interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. Data were analyzed using ethnographic methods for narrative and life histories. Motives were identified and compared with existing measures. Analysis of community involvement resulted in the identification of twelve categories of motives including: value of community involvement, social change, helping others, reciprocity, personal development, making social connections, career development, gay community concern, feeling better about oneself, understanding HIV/AIDS, concern about HIV/AIDS, and experience with HIV/AIDS. In total, 61 items assessing these motives were developed in English and Spanish. Many of the motives for HIV/AIDS-related community involvement found in this study are similar to those identified in previous studies. However, we found that motives such as reciprocity and those regarding personal development and gay community concern are culturally and contextually specific. Based on these findings an instrument was drafted to obtain more comprehensive and detailed measurement of motives for community involvement.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Latino
Related Web page: www.uic.edu/sph/2comunidades/
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.