Help Us, Save Us! HIV/STI Prevention Intervention for High-Risk Black Men

描述（由申请人提供）：非洲裔美国男男性行为者（MSM）中艾滋病毒/艾滋病的发病率令人震惊，由于缺乏在这一人群中有效的降低性风险干预措施，公共卫生对这一紧急情况的反应受到了阻碍。因此，拟议研究的广泛和长期目标是确定干预措施，以降低非裔美国男男性行为者的性传播感染（STI）风险。这是HIV/STI大学研究人员和黑人教育黑人性健康问题（BEBASHI）的合作成果，BEBASHI是费城最古老的社区组织（CBO），致力于解决包括男同性恋者在内的非裔美国人社区的HIV问题。这项申请寻求资金，以开发和测试一种基于理论的、适合环境的行为干预的有效性，以减少非裔美国男同性恋者的性风险行为。干预发展将以社会认知理论、计划行为理论、焦点小组的定性信息和研究人群中男性纵向调查的结果为指导。将利用一对一的干预来解决每个男子的具体预防需要，并减轻参与者因参加小组或讲习班干预而暴露其与男子发生性关系的担忧。该研究将采用随机对照试验设计，包括基线、干预后立即、干预后6个月和12个月的评估。参与者将是594名非裔美国男男性行为者，他们将被随机分配到一对一的性风险降低干预组或一对一的健康促进干预组，作为对照条件。主要结果是在肛交和阴道性交时始终使用避孕套。具体目的是关注干预在增加肛交期间持续使用避孕套的有效性，主要结果，以及测试干预对持续使用避孕套的影响的中介作用。这项研究将提供一个迫切需要的干预措施，以降低美国最高风险人群之一的艾滋病毒和其他性传播感染的风险。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The incidence of HIV/AIDS among African American men who have sex with men (MSM) is alarming, and the public health response to this urgent situation has been hampered by a lack of sexual risk reduction interventions with solid evidence of efficacy in this population. Accordingly, the broad, long-term objective of the proposed research is to identify interventions to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infection (STI) among African American MSM. This is a collaborative effort by HIV/STI university-based researchers and Blacks Educating Blacks About Sexual Health Issues (BEBASHI), the oldest community-based organization (CBO) in the City of Philadelphia that has addressed HIV in the African American community, including MSM. This application seeks funds to develop and test the efficacy of a theory-based, contextually appropriate behavioral intervention to reduce sexual risk behavior among African American MSM. Intervention development will be guided by social cognitive theory, the theory of planned behavior, qualitative information from focus groups, and findings from a longitudinal survey of men from the study population. A one-on-one intervention will be utilized to address the specific prevention needs of each man and to allay participants' concerns about revealing their sexual involvement with men by virtue of participating in a group or workshop intervention. The study will utilize a randomized controlled trial design, with baseline, immediate post intervention, and 6 and 12 months post intervention assessments. The participants will be 594 African American MSM who will be randomized to a one-on-one sexual risk reduction intervention or a one-on-one health promotion intervention that will serve as the control condition. The primary outcome is consistent condom use during anal and vaginal intercourse. The specific aims concern the efficacy of the intervention in increasing consistent condom use during anal intercourse, the primary outcome, and testing the mediation of the effects of the intervention on consistent condom use. This study will provide an urgently needed intervention to reduce the risk of HIV and other STIs in one of the highest risk populations in the United States.