Network Analysis Among HIV-infected Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men Demonstrates High Connectedness Around Few Venues
- 1 March 2013
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) in Sexually Transmitted Diseases
- Vol. 40 (3), 206-212
- https://doi.org/10.1097/olq.0b013e3182840373
Abstract
Background Network analysis is useful for understanding sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. We conducted egocentric and affiliation network analysis among HIV-infected young black men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Jackson, Mississippi, area to understand networks and connectedness of this population. Methods We interviewed 22 black MSM aged 17 to 25 years diagnosed as having HIV in 2006 to 2008. Participants provided demographic and geographic information about each sex partner during the 12 months before diagnosis and identified venues where they met these partners. We created affiliation network diagrams to understand connectedness of this population and identify venues that linked participants. Results The median number of partners reported was 4 (range, 1–16); a total of 97 partners (88 of whom were male) were reported. All but 1 participant were connected through a network of venues where they had met partners during the 12 months before diagnosis. Three venues were named as places for meeting partners by 13 of 22 participants. Participants reported having partners from all regions of Mississippi and 5 other states. Conclusions HIV-infected young black MSM in this analysis were linked by a small number of venues. These venues should be targeted for testing and prevention interventions. The pattern of meeting sex partners in a small number of venues suggests densely connected networks that propagate infection. This pattern, in combination with sexual partnerships with persons from outside Jackson, may contribute to spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections into or out the Jackson area.This publication has 28 references indexed in Scilit:
- Role Flexing: How Community, Religion, and Family Shape the Experiences of Young Black Men Who Have Sex with MenAIDS Patient Care and STDs, 2012
- Estimated HIV Incidence in the United States, 2006–2009PLOS ONE, 2011
- Migration, Neighborhoods, and Networks: Approaches to Understanding How Urban Environmental Conditions Affect Syndemic Adverse Health Outcomes Among Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who Have Sex with MenAIDS and Behavior, 2011
- HIV Risk Among Young African American Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Case–Control Study in MississippiAmerican Journal of Public Health, 2011
- Persistence of Racial Differences in Attitudes Toward Homosexuality in the United StatesJAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 2010
- Perceived condom norms and HIV risks among social and sexual networks of young African American men who have sex with menHealth Education Research, 2008
- Using sexual affiliation networks to describe the sexual structure of a populationSexually Transmitted Infections, 2007
- Greater Risk for HIV Infection of Black Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Critical Literature ReviewAmerican Journal of Public Health, 2006
- Social Context, Sexual Networks, and Racial Disparities in Rates of Sexually Transmitted InfectionsThe Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2005
- HIV transmission in sexual networks: an empirical analysisProceedings. Biological sciences, 1995