Social Geographies of Black Men who have sex with men: place, networks and HIV

描述(由申请人提供)：在美国，与男性发生性行为的非裔美国男性(AA MSM)继续受到艾滋病毒和艾滋病的不成比例的影响。这些差异不能用个人层面的因素来充分解释。到目前为止，许多艾滋病毒行为研究都集中在衡量特定的风险事件上，而没有考虑社会、地理(即。这些事件的空间)和时间背景。时间和空间维度与同性行为的研究有关，特别是在AA MSM中，他们经历了高度的污名和歧视。人们发现，社会网络通过社会比较、社会监督和规范形成的过程，对个人的行为产生了强大的影响。然而，人们不太了解的是社交网络也是如何受到时间和地理的影响的。关于这些方面的研究很少，因为它们与艾滋病毒风险和预防有关，特别是在再障男男性接触者中。K01职业发展奖将允许我进行一个跨学科的学习和研究项目，涉及社会网络的时间和空间维度，以及这些维度如何影响艾滋病毒风险行为，特别是在AA MSM中。这一培训将使我获得地理和定性方法方面的知识和技能，以补充我现有的研究，目的是更好地为制定适合文化的干预措施提供信息。具体地说，我将获得：1)时间地理学、文化地理学和健康地理学子学科的概念和方法知识，因为它们应用于社会网络和艾滋病毒的研究；2)时间地理方法论的培训，以收集在社会网络、地点和时间的背景下发生的艾滋病毒风险行为的数据；3)观察人种学方法的培训；4)定性数据分析的技能；5)密集的指导和指导，将培训和研究与我目前的研究相结合，以便我可以作为一名独立科学家寻求资金，促进艾滋病毒预防科学领域的发展。这一培训的主要成果之一将包括开发一个概念模型，社会科学家可以使用该模型来设计未来的干预措施和研究，其中纳入了社会网络和艾滋病毒风险行为的空间和时间维度。该模型将作为开发更大的R01水平的AA、MSM和HIV风险研究以及开发和评估伴随的HIV预防行为干预的基础。此外，该奖项的研究和培训将产生科学出版物，推动艾滋病毒预防和行为科学领域的发展。公共卫生相关性：这项研究是一种跨学科的方法，旨在了解非裔美国男男性行为(AA MSM)中艾滋病毒危险行为的社会、空间和时间背景。这项研究的结果将确定关于艾滋病毒风险的新的概念路径，这些路径可以为可持续的与文化相关的行为干预措施和政策的发展提供信息，以支持不同社会背景下的预防行为，并减少MSM中艾滋病毒的种族差异。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the United States, African American men who have sex with men (AA MSM) continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS. These disparities have not been adequately explained by individual level factors. Much of the HIV behavioral research to date has focused on measuring specific risk events without consideration of the social, geographic (ie. spatial) and temporal context of these events. Temporal and spatial dimensions are pertinent to the study of same sex behavior, particularly among AA MSM, who experience high levels of stigmatization and discrimination. Social networks have been found to be powerful influences on individuals' behaviors, through processes of social comparison, social monitoring and norm formation. However, what is less understood are the ways in which social networks are also shaped by time and geography. There has been little study of these dimensions as they relate to HIV risk and prevention, especially among AA MSM. The K01 Career Development award will allow me to undertake an interdisciplinary program of study and research concerning the temporal and spatial dimensions of social networks and how these influence HIV risk behavior, specifically among AA MSM. This training will result in my acquisition of knowledge and skills in geography and qualitative methodology to complement my existing research, with the goal of better informing the development of culturally appropriate interventions. Specifically, I will gain: 1) knowledge about concepts and methodologies from the subdisciplines time- geography, cultural geography and health geography as they apply to the study of social networks and HIV, 2) training in time-geography methodology to collect data about HIV risk behavior as it occurs within the context of social networks, place and time, 3) training in observational ethnographic methods, 4) skills in qualitative data analysis and, 5) intensive mentoring and guidance to integrate the training and research with my current research such that I can seek funding as an independent scientist and advance the field of HIV prevention science. One of the primary outcomes of this training will include development of a conceptual model that social scientists can use to design future interventions and studies which incorporates the spatial and temporal dimensions of social networks and HIV risk behavior. This model will serve as a basis for developing a larger R01 level study of AA MSM and HIV risk and development and evaluation of an accompanying HIV prevention behavioral intervention. Furthermore, the research and training from the award will result in scientific publications that will advance the field of HIV prevention and behavioral science. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This research is an interdisciplinary approach to understand the socio-spatial and temporal context of HIV risk behavior among African American men who have sex with men (AA MSM). Results from this study will identify new conceptual pathways about HIV risk that can inform the development of sustainable culturally- relevant behavioral interventions and policies which bolster preventive behavior within various social contexts and reduce racial disparities in HIV among MSM.