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，最近移民到美国的中美洲和墨西哥妇女感染艾滋病毒的风险增加。迁徙过渡期，包括迁徙旅程本身，加上对美国生活的初步适应，构成了特别危险的时期。新移民妇女既处于过渡时期，也处于适应时期，处于缺乏社会支持网络、经济资源和信息获取的“阈限阶段”。在其阈限阶段，拉丁裔移民妇女可能比更稳定的移民人口更容易受到加剧其感染艾滋病毒风险的情况和行为的影响。尽管关于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，性冒险行为可能很普遍，但目前还没有定量数据来支持这一点。本研究的目的是描述和比较居住在德克萨斯州休斯顿的新近和已建立的拉丁裔移民妇女的危险性行为的流行程度。分析的主要焦点是交换性行为、强迫性行为和无保护的性行为。这项研究将提供流行病学数据，阐明与过渡性迁徙事件相关的具体背景和行为。受访者驱动抽样（RDS）将用于从休斯顿拉丁裔危险地区招募中美洲和墨西哥妇女。高危地区是艾滋病毒高发地区、拉丁裔人口和贫困地区。新移民将根据在美国居住的年数来定义：新移民是指那些在美国居住了0到4年的人；固定移民是指那些在美国居住了5年或以上的人。一份由访谈者填写的问卷将用于收集有关性危险行为、人口统计、文化适应和移民近况的信息。多元逻辑回归将被用来评估最近移民与性危险行为之间的关系。

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.