Black Gay and Bisexual Men

We Are Family: Testing, Linkage , and Engagement in Care among African American Gay, Bisexual,  and Trans Youth in the House  Ball Community

Investigators: Emily Arnold (PI), Parya Saberi, Susan Kegeles, Torsten Neilands, Lance Pollack, Michael Benjamin (CAL-PEP), Gloria Lockett (CAL-PEP) 

This 4-year study was supported by the California HIV/AIDS Research Program (CHRP) to develop and conduct a preliminary test of intervention activities that build upon forms of social support already occurring among young people involved in the house ball and gay family communities, specifically related to HIV prevention and care. This was a collaboration between UCSF, CAL-PEP, and members of the house ball and gay family communities.  

Research findings: Many Bay Area houses and gay families already share HIV prevention information and support with family members, helping their children and siblings connect to services. Building on family connections provides a natural forum to bring up the most recent prevention and treatment advances, such as home testing, PrEP/PEP, and U=U. Family-based support, reinforced by this intervention, is particularly important as many participants are impacted by gentrification and rely more on each other. Among the 120 participants enrolled in the study, 23% experienced homelessness in the past year. Connecting individuals to resources, within the community and through the health care system, is a key part of improving HIV prevention and care outcomes.
 

The Bruthas Project: Sexual Health Promotion Counseling Sessions

Investigators: Emily Arnold (Academic PI), Gloria Lockett (Community PI), Susan Kegeles, Don Operario (Brown University), Tor Neilands, Lance Pollack, and Stephanie Cornwell (CAL-PEP)

Black men who have sex with men and women 

(BMSMW) are at high risk for acquiring and transmitting HIV, but few interventions exist to address their prevention needs. To address this, we developed the Bruthas Project, a series of four individualized sexual health promotion counseling sessions designed to build upon standardized HIV counseling and testing (HIV-CT). Using a randomized controlled trial, intervention participants received Bruthas counseling sessions whereas the control participants received standard HIV testing and counseling.  

Research findings: Men in both the intervention and control groups improved on their HIV testing behavior, engaged in fewer acts of condomless sex, and reduced their number of sexual partners. This may be attributed to the powerful effect of providing culturally tailored and non-judgmental HIV testing and counseling to BMSMW, an underserved population. The study found that BMSMW who are living with HIV are prioritizing their basic needs, such as food security and housing, ahead of maintaining their medical provider appointments and medications. Some participants end their HIV medical treatment because of side effects or interactions with other medications.
 

The LetSync Project: Creating a mHealth Tool for Enhancing HIV Care Engagement in the Dyadic Context 

Investigators: Judy Tan (PI), Tor Neilands, Susan Kegeles, Parya Saberi, Emily Arnold

Black men who have sex with men are disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS. The primary romantic relationship provides an important context for understanding HIV care engagement among MSM in a primary romantic relationship with another man. Relationship factors such as communication, relationship satisfaction, and social support have been shown to predict health outcomes, including those in the HIV Care Continuum. 

Mobile health (mHealth) holds tremendous potential for facilitating relationship factors conducive to HIV care engagement among Black men who are in a primary romantic relationship with another man. 

The goal of this project is to develop a couples-focused mHealth tool that enhances relationship factors important to HIV care engagement among HIV+ Black men who are in a primary romantic relationship with another man.