HOLA (Hombres Ofreciendo Liderazgo y Ayuda)

Culturally-Grounded HIV Prevention for MSM

Principal Investigator: Scott Rhodes

SIRC Collaborators: Flavio F. Marsiglia

Funding: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, award 02520-09.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. This study was designed to explore sexual risk among MSM using community-based participatory research (CBPR). An academic–community partnership conducted nine focus groups with 88 MSM. Participants (mean age 27) self-identified as African American/Black (n = 28), Hispanic/Latino (n = 33), White (n = 21), and biracial/ethnic (n = 6). Grounded theory was used to  identify twelve themes related to HIV risk, including low knowledge of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, particularly among Latino MSM and MSM who use the Internet for sexual networking; stereotyping of African American MSM as sexually “dominant” and Latino MSM as less likely to be HIV infected; and the eroticization of “barebacking.” Twelve intervention approaches also were identified, including developing culturally congruent programming using community-identified assets, harnessing social media used by informal networks of MSM, and promoting protection within the context of intimate relationships. A community forum was held to develop recommendations and move these themes to action.

Rhodes, S. D., Daniel, J., Alonzo, J., Duck, S., Garcia, M., Downs, M., Hergenrather, K. C., Alegria-Ortega, J., Miller, C., Boeving Allen, A., Gilbert, P. A., & Marsiglia F. F. (2013). A systematic community-based participatory approach to refining an evidence-based community-level intervention: The HOLA intervention for Latino men who have sex with men. Health Promotion Practice, 14, 607-616. doi: 10.1177/1524839912462391

Rhodes S. D., Hergenrather, K. C., Vissman, A. T., Stowers, J., Davis, A. B., Hannah, A., Alonzo, J., & Marsiglia, F. F. (2011). Boys must be men, and men must have sex with women: A qualitative CBPR study to explore sexual risk among African American, Latino, and white gay men and MSM. American Journal of Men's Health, 5, 140-151. doi: 10.1177/1557988310366298.