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“We Deserve Better!”: Perceptions of HIV Testing Campaigns Among Black and Latino MSM in New York City

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Abstract

In 2014, Black/African-American and Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men (BLMSM) comprised 64.1% of HIV diagnoses among MSM in the U.S. Routine HIV testing allows earlier diagnosis, linkage to care, and improved health outcomes. HIV testing campaigns may increase HIV awareness and testing behaviors, but perceptions of these campaigns by BLMSM have been understudied. We explored perceptions of HIV testing campaigns with BLMSM in New York City (NYC) to inform campaign strategies that target BLMSM for HIV testing. Using respondent-driven sampling methods, we conducted semi-structured interviews from 2011 to 2012 with BLMSM in NYC who participated in a larger HIV research study. Interview responses from 108 participants were examined for main themes using computer-assisted thematic analyses. The four main themes identified were that HIV testing campaigns should: (1) use non-stereotypical messages and images on the basis of race and sexuality, (2) use non-gay identified images, (3) be maximally inclusive and visible, and (4) raise risk perception of HIV. These findings can inform future campaigns for strengthening HIV testing among BLMSM in support of earlier diagnosis, linkage to care, and reduced disparities.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the men who participated, the Center for HIV Educational Studies and Training, and the Gay Men of African Descent for their participation in and support of this study.

Disclaimer

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Funding

This study was supported with CDC’s Minority HIV/AIDS Research Initiative award # U01PS000677.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, NCHHSTP, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA

    Kathryn Drumhiller, Ashley Murray, Zaneta Gaul, Tiffiany M. Aholou & Madeline Y. Sutton

  2. Lifesource Biomedical, Herndon, VA, USA

    Kathryn Drumhiller

  3. ICF International, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Zaneta Gaul

  4. Kingsborough Community College, Brooklyn, NY, USA

    Jose Nanin

Authors
  1. Kathryn Drumhiller
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  2. Ashley Murray
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  3. Zaneta Gaul
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  4. Tiffiany M. Aholou
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  5. Madeline Y. Sutton
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  6. Jose Nanin
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Correspondence to Kathryn Drumhiller.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Drumhiller, K., Murray, A., Gaul, Z. et al. “We Deserve Better!”: Perceptions of HIV Testing Campaigns Among Black and Latino MSM in New York City. Arch Sex Behav 47, 289–297 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-0950-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-0950-4

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