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Knowledge about HIV-Related Services Among Young Blacks with Diverse Sexual Identities: an Intra-racial Analysis

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Abstract

Given the disproportionate representation in HIV/AIDS cases among young Black members of the LGBTQIA community, it is important to continue to identify both their ability to assess the knowledge that can foster healthier sexual outcomes as well as dynamics that may foster or undermine their efforts. The goal of this study is to examine whether 236 young Black persons ages 18–30 years old who are members of the LGBTQIA community know where to go locally to locate healthcare services to combat HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted health issues. Quantitative findings show the influence of self-identified sexual identity, age, and place of residence on knowledge about HIV-related services. The implications of these results illustrate the possible effects of place and identity development on knowledge about HIV-related services that can affect life chances and quality of life for certain members of this community.

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Notes

  1. The program was funded via a 5-year grant (2015–2019) from the Department of Health and Human Services: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and included a 1-year no-cost extension solely for data analysis in 2020.

  2. Due to small sample counts, respondents who selected “unsure,” prefer not to say or Other are combined into a single group.

  3. When an interaction variable is included, the original variables used to create that interaction variable are not interpreted (due to correlation and because they represent the combination of the created indicator). Thus, only the interaction variable is interpreted.

  4. We include Model 3 here to consider the next likely analysis step given the consistent findings about age and sexual identity in the prior two models. The modeling rule of thumb (i.e., 10 cases for the inclusion of an additional independent variable) suggests that the 14 total variables in Model 3 for a sample of 236 should have sufficient power to consider interaction effects. However, if Model 3 reflects over-fitting, the findings are suggestive given the exploratory dimension of the use of interactions here (noted earlier in this paper).

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Acknowledgements

Special thanks to our research partners who shared their stories and to the anonymous reviewers.

Funding

Department of Health and Human Services: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA 2015-2020): Grant Number: 1H79SP021246-01.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fisk University, 1000 17th Ave N, Nashville, TN, 37208, USA

    Leslie Collins

  2. Brown University, Box 1916, Providence, RI, 02912-1916, USA

    Sandra L. Barnes

  3. Department of HOD, Vanderbilt University, 2201 West End Ave, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA

    Katherine Heffernan

  4. FrameWorks Inc., Washington, DC, USA

    Dominique Lyew

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Contributions

Sandra L. Barnes conceptualized the paper and wrote the main first draft of the manuscript. Leslie Collins performed the analyses and revised the draft. Katherine Heffernan and Dominique Lyew helped develop the literature review. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Sandra L. Barnes.

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Ethics Approval

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.

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The above-referenced consent to participate form included a clause to consent for the publication of information provided during the study.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Appendix

Appendix

Study dependent and independent variables

figure a

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Collins, L., Barnes, S.L., Heffernan, K. et al. Knowledge about HIV-Related Services Among Young Blacks with Diverse Sexual Identities: an Intra-racial Analysis. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 11, 1056–1066 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-023-01585-7

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