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HIV has spread dramatically in minority communities, with African Americans currently being five times as likely as whites to contract HIV, and the disproportion continues to increase. Historically, few minority investigators have been funded by the NIH. Culturally appropriate measurements and methods are needed to successfully involve respondents and accurately measure their beliefs, values, and behaviors. Investigators who are members of minority groups often have more access to the minority community and more credibility within that community. In addition, they may have a greater understanding of the cultural issues that could influence behavior, and they often have language fluency

This forum grew out of an interest in having dialogues between researchers, providers and community members (these categories are not mutually exclusive groups). This would serve the dual purpose of giving research legs so that it can inform programs and helping ensure that program and life experience inform research studies. Another factor for calling this meeting was the high prevalence of HIV among men who have sex with men and are also injection drug users (MSM IDUs). In San Francisco, the prevalence of HIV among MSM IDUs is 35%. MSM IDUs make up 9% of the cumulative AIDS cases in California, and 6% of the cumulative AIDS cases in the US. Currently, the San Francisco Community Planning Group has listed MSM IDUs as a top priority for prevention programs and funding. Despite the high prevalence rates and interest in serving this population, there are few services, limited infrastructure and scant research specifically addressing MSM IDUs. Most of the funding is divided between MSM-specific and IDU-specific, as well divided between care and prevention, HIV+ and HIV-. As a result of this first informal meeting, CAPS is providing this Report Back on the forum, and a roster of participants to encourage ongoing discussion and networking among service providers, researchers and others working with MSM IDUs. NOTE: The ground rules of this meeting were that specific comments were not attributed to specific people. This Report is intended to be a summary of the different views and ideas from the forum; not every point made is included. This Report is not a consensus.

In developing countries where health resources are severely limited, debate continues regarding the relative amount that should be spent on HIV counseling and testing. While HIV counseling and testing has been promoted as effective for prevention, few controlled studies have been conducted.The Voluntary HIV Counseling and Testing Efficacy study was a randomized clinical trial of the effectiveness of HIV counseling and testing for the prevention of new HIV infections. The study was conducted at three sites: Nairobi, Kenya; Dar-Es- Salaam, Tanzania; and Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. (posted 9/98)

• Counselor Training Manual
• Interviewer Training Manual
• Intervention Manual

Instruments:

• Condom use for females in English
• Condom use for males in English
• Uso de condones para mujeres en Español
• Uso de condones para hombres en Español

Scoring: Please read the detailed description of the instruments. Reliability and/or validity: “Condom use among Hispanic men with secondary female sexual partners” by Barbara VanOss Marin, Cynthia A. Gomez, and Jeanne M. Tschann, printed in Public Health Reports; also in Gómez C, Marín BV (1996). Gender, culture, and power: Barriers to safe sex. Journal of Sex Research, 33(4), 355–362.