HIV Risk Behavior in Men Engaged in Recreational Travel

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Persons traveling on vacation may seek new experiences, including some experiences that have negative health effects. A growing body of research documents increased substance use and high-risk sexual behavior in leisure travelers. Although the existing literature and our own pilot work is sufficient to document risk behaviors in travelers, relatively little is known about the psychosocial correlates of such behaviors. If effective interventions are to be developed for leisure travelers, more information is needed about the motivations for travel, intentions to seek new sexual partners while on vacation, information related to HIV risk while traveling, self-efficacy for engaging in HIV preventative behaviors while traveling, and other contextual and individual factors related to risk behaviors associated with leisure travel. In addition, little is known about this population's openness to receiving risk-reduction information while on vacation. This application, submitted in response to Program Announcement PA-03-107, Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant (R21), seeks 2 years of funding to examine these issues in travelers to three popular tourist destinations: Key West, FL; New Orleans, LA; and Rehoboth Beach, DE. To examine these factors, we propose 3 stages of research: (1) formative qualitative work consisting of individual interviews with key informants and leisure travelers; (2) quantitative assessment of risk behaviors and psychosocial correlates of risk, including substance use and components of the 1MB model; (3) focus groups designed to obtain feedback about key themes and summary conclusions from these data. Primary study aims include: characterizing the sexual risk activities of travelers and comparing vacation risk behaviors to behaviors in participants' home communities, identifying key correlates of risk, and determining receptivity to prevention interventions. Each year, millions of people travel for leisure and many engage in behaviors that could jeopardize their health. If funded, this research will gather data concerning substance use and sexual risk behaviors in persons traveling on vacation. The purpose of the research is to better understand factors associated with risk in travelers, and to begin to identify effective risk-reduction strategies.