Background Although HIV infections are documented among all race and sexual risk groups, black men who have sex with men (BMSM) are the most affected by HIV in the US. Currently, there is considerable emphasis on the implementation and use of biomedical HIV prevention to slow the HIV epidemic among this group; however, use of biomedical prevention requires engagement in routine medical care – a necessity that has not been met. Methods In order to better understand this shortcoming, we surveyed 544 BMSM (in 2012) to assess how health care related stigma, global medical mistrust, and personal trust in health care provider relate to engaging in medical care. We used generalized linear modeling and mediation analyses to assess data (completed in 2013). Results Twenty nine percent of participants reported experiencing race/sexual orientation stigma from heath care providers and 48% reported feelings of mistrust towards medical establishments. In generalized linear modeling we found that, among HIV negative BMSM, those who experienced greater stigma and global medical mistrust had longer gaps in time since last medical exam. Furthermore, global medical mistrust mediated the relationship between stigma and engagement in care. Among HIV positive BMSM, experiencing stigma from health care providers was also associated with longer gaps in time since last HIV care appointment. Conclusions Interventions that support the development of greater awareness around the sexual health needs of BMSM are desperately needed. Failure to address psychosocial deterrents will stymie progress made in biomedical prevention and, ultimately, cripple our ability to implement these technologies.

In the United States, rates of HIV infection are highest among black men who have sex with men (BMSM). Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective form of HIV prevention, but the uptake of this strategy has been slow since FDA approval in 2012, and it is unknown whether information about PrEP is reaching BMSM. Four hundred and thirty-six BMSM in Atlanta, GA were surveyed from January 2012 (6 months prior to PrEP approval) to March 2014 (20 months after approval). Analyses revealed no association between date of survey assessment and awareness of PrEP (20.5% were aware of PrEP before approval and 23.4% were aware after approval; OR = 0.99 [0.98-1.02], p = 0.952). In a multivariate model, BMSM unaware of PrEP reported lower rates of HIV testing knowledge, fewer experiences with HIV testing, and higher rates of transactional sex than BMSM who were aware of PrEP. Our findings suggest that there is limited understanding of PrEP and that there is considerable groundwork that needs to be achieved in order to reap the full benefits of PrEP. The current findings call attention to the need to both prioritize and better understand how to strengthen the bridge between medical advances and community uptake.

OBJECTIVES In the US, Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) holds tremendous promise for curbing the HIV/AIDS epidemic among these men. However, many psycho-social components must be addressed in order to effectively implement this prevention tool among BMSM. METHODS We assessed PrEP knowledge and use, health care access experiences, race-based medical mistrust, sexual partners and behaviors, and drug and alcohol use among 699 men attending a community event in the southeastern US. We used generalized linear modeling to assess factors associated with their willingness to use PrEP. RESULTS Three hundred ninety-eight men reported being BMSM and HIV negative status. Among these men, 60% reported being willing to use PrEP. Lack of being comfortable with talking to a health care provider about having sex with men, not having discussed having sex with a man with a health care provider, race-based medical mistrust, and alcohol consumption and substance use were all identified as barriers to willingness to use PrEP. Sexual risk taking, including number of sex partners and STI diagnosis, was not associated with willingness to use PrEP. CONCLUSIONS Findings from the current paper demonstrate the importance of acknowledging the role of various psycho-social factors in the uptake of PrEP. It is imperative that we prioritize research into better understanding these barriers as the failure to do so will impede the tremendous potential of this prevention technology.

We examine the role of alcohol consumption on sexual risk behavior among a cohort of 187 sexually active HIV-infected women (aged 18-61) in care at an urban ambulatory clinic in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. Sexual risk behavior among women on and off antiretroviral therapy (ART) and the relationship between alcohol use, ART, and behavior was also explored. One-fourth of respondents were classified as binge drinkers and the average number of drinking occasions per week ranged from none to 10-12. Approximately 60% were prescribed ART and self-reported adherence was 90%. One-third of the women reported no condom use at last vaginal sex, 62% reported inconsistent condom use for vaginal sex, and 7% had multiple male sex partners in the last month. Binge alcohol users and women on ART were significantly more likely to participate in each sexual risk outcome examined. Partner refusal of condom use was also significantly associated with binge drinking patterns. Results lend strength to the equivocal literature on the relationship between both alcohol and prescription of ART and sexual behavior. Enhanced detection of alcohol abuse, coupled with risk reduction counseling especially among women prescribed ART are important clinical practices in treating women with HIV.

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Purpose The availability of rapid, home-based HIV testing (RHT) in the US has provided us with a valuable, new option in our efforts to identify more people living with HIV and to do so sooner. Furthermore, it is possible that RHT will be or is currently being used as a means of learning one's own and one's partner's HIV status prior to engaging in condomless intercourse. Data regarding knowledge and willingness to use RHT, however, is very limited. In particular, no studies have investigated RHT use among Black men who have sex with men (BMSM). Understanding RHT use among BMSM is critical as we have observed alarming rates of HIV prevalence among this group and RHT may provide an opportunity to slow HIV transmission among BMSM. Methods In order to better understand RHT we assessed knowledge, willingness to use and actual use of RHT, HIV testing history, substance use and sexual risk taking among 387 HIV negative BMSM and 157 HIV positive BMSM attending a community event in the southeastern US. We used generalized linear modeling to assess factors associated with their willingness to use RHT. Results Although familiarity with the availability of RHT was somewhat limited among these men, a substantial portion of BMSM did report an interest in using RHT, including with their sex partners. Among HIV negative BMSM, however, we found a negative relationship between willingness to use RHT and sexual risk taking, i.e., higher numbers of condomless anal sex acts were associated with a reduction in willingness to use RHT. Conclusions It appears that men who report the greatest risk taking for HIV are least interested in RHT. Future research should focus on better understanding concerns regarding RHT among at-risk HIV negative men and should investigate the usefulness of using RHT as a HIV prevention method.

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