Background: Sexually transmitted diseases and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) represent growing health care concerns that affect subgroups of the population in disproportionately high numbers. We researched associations with high-risk sexual behavior in young men of color living in an economically depressed area of a mid-size city. Our results are used to discuss the possibility of more effective interventions.
Methods: We analyzed the responses of 95 men (aged 12 to 29 years) to a self-administered questionnaire. We then examined variables hypothesized to be associated with high-risk sexual behavior and used bivariate and multivariate analyses to report associations found for this group.
Results: Improved perception of one's general health (odds ratio [OR] 0.95) and believing that peers approved of condoms (OR 0.51) were inversely associated with high-risk sexual behavior, whereas use of illegal drugs (OR 6.0), history of being arrested (OR 3.92), and age older than 18 years (OR 1.4) were directly associated. Knowledge about HIV was not significantly different in men who participated in high-risk sexual behavior and those who did not. Seventy-eight percent of HIV knowledge questions were answered correctly by both groups.
Conclusions: Our findings support the need to develop interventions that focus on more than knowledge dissemination. Interventions using modeling and education by peers have the potential to reach at-risk adolescents and young adults more effectively. Such interventions should address broader societal problems, such as health perceptions, drug abuse, and crime.