HIV/AIDS Prevention with African American heterosexual men attending college

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Currently, few HIV prevention interventions with evidence of efficacy are tailored to African-American college-aged men. This study will develop and test the efficacy of a culturally relevant intervention designed to reduce risk of HIV infection among African-American heterosexual men with no current drug use. A community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach will be used to conduct formative research, develop the intervention, and evaluate its efficacy. African American men have the highest rates for HIV infection among any race and gender group in the US. Furthermore, a startling increase in rates among African American men attending college in North Carolina and elsewhere has focused attention on this priority population. We propose a 3-year study to develop and test the efficacy of a culturally relevant intervention designed to reduce risk of HIV infection among African American college men. The intervention will be developed based on formative research with the population and building on social cognitive theory and the Big Man Little Man Complex, a conceptual framework of African American masculinity developed by Tony L. Whitehead. This study will continue use a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach throughout all phases of the research process. A randomized controlled design is proposed to test the efficacy of the interventions. A total of 200 African American men (age 18-24) will be recruited in Greensboro, NC and informed consent obtained. All eligible and willing men will complete an initial baseline assessment designed to measure current sexual behavior, and cultural, social, and psychological influences on sexual behavior and healthcare utilization. Participants will then be randomized to an HIV prevention intervention or a stress management/time managment/study skills comparison intervention. All participants will complete identical assessments at immediate post intervention and 3-month follow-up. Participants in the HIV prevention interventions, relative to their peers in the comparison group, are anticipated to demonstrate (a) greater self-reported abstinence, (b) greater self-reported use of condoms during sexual intercourse; (c) fewer self-reports of multiple sexual partners; (d) greater self-reported utilization of HIV and sexually transmitted disease (STD) counseling, testing, and treatment services; (e) greater knowledge of HIV risk behaviors and prevention strategies; (f) higher norm perception scores supporting risk-reduction strategies; (g) more positive attitudes toward condom use; (h) greater self-efficacy to use and assert the use of condoms; (i) higher sense of mastery scores; and (j) greater communication and sexual negotiation skills. This study will advance the field of HIV prevention research through the development of 3 important and much needed "products" that will fill existing gaps: (a) a culturally relevant Spanish-language intervention designed to reduce HIV/AIDS risk among recently arrived, less-acculturated Latino men that will be ready for further implementation and larger scale testing; (b) a deeper understanding of HIV risk among Latino men; and (c) insight into a research partnership process that includes lay community members, AIDS service organizations (ASOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), 3 universities, and a broad spectrum of other partners. This study will advance the field of HIV prevention research through the development of 3 important and much needed "products" that will fill existing gaps: (a) a culturally relevant Spanish-language intervention designed to reduce HIV/AIDS risk among recently arrived, less-acculturated Latino men that will be ready for further implementation and larger scale testing; (b) a deeper understanding of HIV risk among Latino men; and (c) insight into a research partnership process that includes lay community members, AIDS service organizations (ASOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), 3 universities, and a broad spectrum of other partners.