HIV Risk Behaviors among Recently Arrived Latina Immigrant Women Living in Housto

描述(由申请人提供)：越来越多的证据表明，美国最近移民的中美洲和墨西哥妇女感染艾滋病毒的风险增加。移民过渡期，包括移民之旅本身，加上对美国生活的初步适应，构成了特别危险的时期。最近移民的妇女处于过渡期和适应期的“临界期”，她们缺乏社会支持网络、经济资源和获取信息的机会。在她们的临界期，拉美裔移民妇女可能容易受到情况和行为的影响，这些情况和行为除了更稳定的移民人口外，还会加剧她们感染艾滋病毒的风险。尽管来自中美洲和墨西哥的城市女性移民的人种学数据表明，在移民的过渡阶段，性行为冒险可能是常见的，但迄今还没有量化数据支持这一点。这项研究的目的是描述和比较居住在德克萨斯州休斯敦的新近和现有的拉丁裔移民妇女中危险性行为的流行率。分析的主要焦点将是交换性行为、强制性行为和无保护措施的性行为。这项研究将提供流行病学数据，以阐明与过渡性迁徙相关的特定背景和行为。受访者驱动抽样(RDS)将用于从休斯顿拉美裔风险地区招募中美洲和墨西哥妇女。高危地区是艾滋病毒高流行区、拉丁裔人口和贫困地区。移民的近期将由在美国居住的年限来定义：新移民是指在美国居住0到4年的人；既定移民是指在美国居住5年或更长时间的人。将使用面试者管理的问卷来收集有关性危险行为、人口统计学、文化适应和最近移民的信息。多变量Logistic回归将被用来评估最近移民和性危险行为之间的联系。 公共卫生相关性：这项横断面研究旨在描述和比较居住在德克萨斯州休斯敦的最近和现有的中美洲和墨西哥妇女中交换性行为、强制性行为和无保护措施性行为的流行率。据推测，这种性行为可能会增加新来的移民妇女感染艾滋病毒的风险，而不是更成熟的移民。这项研究得出的流行病学数据将有助于阐明与过渡性移民事件相关的背景和行为，这些事件增加了拉丁裔移民妇女对艾滋病毒感染的易感性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is growing evidence that recent immigrant Central American and Mexican women in the United States are at increased risk for HIV infection. The migratory transitional period, encompassing the migratory journey itself, plus the initial adaptation to life in the US, constitutes the period of particular risk. Recently immigrated women are in a "liminal phase," both in the transit period and the adaptation period, in which they lack social support networks, economic resources, and access to information. In their liminal phase, Latina immigrant women may be vulnerable to situations and behaviors that exacerbate their risk for HIV beyond that of more stable immigrant populations. Although ethnographic data on urban female immigrants from Central America and Mexico suggest that sexual risk taking may be common during transitional phases of immigration, there is as yet no quantitative data to support this. The purpose of this study is to describe and compare the prevalence of risky sexual behaviors among recent and established Latina immigrant women living in Houston, Texas. The primary focus of analysis will be on exchange sex, coercive sex, and unprotected sex. This study will provide epidemiologic data that will elucidate the specific contexts and behaviors associated with transitional migratory episodes. Respondent driven sampling (RDS) will be used to recruit Central American and Mexican women from Latino risk areas of Houston. Risk areas are those with high prevalence of HIV, Latino population, and poverty. Recency of immigration will be defined by the number of years of residency in the US: recent immigrants are those who have lived in the US between 0 and 4 years; established immigrants are those who have lived in the US 5 years or more. An interviewer-administered questionnaire will be used to collect information on sexual risk behaviors, demographics, acculturation, and recency of immigration. Multivariate logistic regression will be used to assess the association between recency of immigration and sexual risk behaviors. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This cross-sectional study aims to describe and compare the prevalence of exchange sex, coercive sex, and unprotected sex among recent and established Central American and Mexican women living in Houston, Texas. It is hypothesized that such sexual risk behaviors may increase the risk of HIV infection among recently arrived immigrant women beyond that of more established immigrants. Epidemiologic data derived from this study will help elucidate the contexts and behaviors associated with transitional migratory episodes that increase Latina immigrant women's vulnerability to HIV infection.