Abstract
Black men who have sex with men and women (BMSMW) are at high risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Despite knowing that HIV/STI risk varies by sexual positioning practices, limited data have characterized the risk profiles of BSMW. This study utilized latent class analysis (LCA) to explore BMSMW’s sexual risk profiles regarding condomless sexual positioning practices. Participants were BMSMW in intervention studies in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia. LCA was used to characterize their sexual risk profiles. Age, study location, HIV status, social support, and internalized homophobia were used as covariates in a multinomial regression model predicting the likelihood of class membership. Among the 546 participants, three latent classes of risk were identified: Seropositive Serosorters, Seronegative/unknown Serosorters, and Main Partners Only. All groups had the greatest probabilities of condomless sex with main partners. Seropositive Serosorters had the highest probabilities of condomless sex with HIV-positive partners. Seronegative/unknown Serosorters had the highest probabilities of condomless sex with HIV-negative or unknown status partners. HIV-positive BMSMW had 87% lower odds of being classified as Seronegative/unknown Serosorters than Seropositive Serosorters than HIV-negative/unknown status BMSMW (AOR = 0.13, 95% CI 0.06, 0.28). HIV-positive BMSMW had 71% lower odds of being classified as Main Partners Only than Seropositive Serosorters than HIV-negative/unknown status BMSMW (AOR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.16, 0.51). Findings highlight opportunities for clinicians to promote condom use and risk reduction among BMSMW with differing sexual risk profiles. Increased understanding of sexual positioning practices among BMSMW might help address HIV/STIs among this group.
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The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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This work is the result of a collaborative effort funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cooperative agreement #1UR6PS0001099. This work was also supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (Award Year 2013) and National Institutes on Drug Abuse Grant # K01 DA039767.
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Dangerfield, D.T., Harawa, N.T., Smith, L.R. et al. Latent Classes of Sexual Risk Among Black Men Who Have Sex with Men and Women. Arch Sex Behav 47, 2071–2080 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-1142-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-1142-y