The Influence of Religion and Spirituality on HIV Prevention Among Black and Latino Men Who Have Sex with Men, New York City.

The influence of religion and spirituality (R/S) on HIV prevention has been understudied, especially for Black and/or Latino men who have sex with men (BLMSM), who bear a disproportionate burden of HIV, and who are part of racial/ethnic communities with high engagement in R/S. The specific aim of this study was to explore perspectives about R/S among BLMSM to inform HIV prevention strategies and reduce HIV-related health disparities. Data from 105 qualitative interviews with BLMSM were analyzed; 58 (55%) stated that R/S had no personal influence on HIV prevention. For those reporting any R/S influence, main themes were: (1) R/S positively influenced decision-making and self-respect, (2) perceived judgment and stigma by religious communities, (3) belief in a higher power, and (4) altruism. These findings can inform faith-based HIV prevention interventions for BLMSM.

African-American and Hispanic perceptions of HIV vaccine clinical research: a qualitative study.

PURPOSE: To examine perceptions of phase-I human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine trial participation among African-Americans and Hispanics in San Francisco, California. DESIGN: Qualitative, semistructured interviews. SETTING: San Francisco Department of Health. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-six African-American and Hispanic men and women, 18 to 50 years of age, residing in the San Francisco Bay Area. METHOD: Purposive sampling using advertisements, community-based organization rosters, and snowball referrals. Thematic analysis of transcripts identified salient themes and patterns. RESULTS: Participants viewed participation in HIV research as important; however, they held that HIV was not a health priority given limited awareness about HIV research or beliefs that only infected or high-risk persons were eligible for participation. Altruism and personal gain, trustworthy trial staff, convenient schedules and facilities, and involvement of trusted community groups in recruitment were perceived to motivate participants. Concerns about the social consequences of participating in HIV research and product-related side effects were seen as discouraging participation. Limitations include the possibility that participants in interview research have more favorable views of biomedical research than those who refuse to participate. CONCLUSION: Historically, African-Americans and Hispanics in the United States have had limited participation in HIV trials. Understanding their perceptions of HIV biomedical research, identifying facilitators and barriers to participation, addressing misinformation about HIV, distorted risk perceptions, HIV stigma, and providing accessible opportunities to participate are imperative to ensure health equity and generalizability of findings.

HIV/AIDS prevention, faith, and spirituality among black/African American and Latino communities in the United States: strengthening scientific faith-based efforts to shift the course of the epidemic and reduce HIV-related health disparities.

Black/African American and Latino communities are disproportionately affected by the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic. Blacks/African Americans and Latinos are also more likely to report a formal, religious, or faith affiliation when compared with non-Hispanic whites. As such, faith leaders and their institutions have been identified in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy as having a vital role to serve in reducing: (1) HIV-related health disparities and (2) the number of new HIV infections by promoting non-judgmental support for persons living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS and by serving as trusted information resources for their congregants and communities. We describe faith doctrines and faith-science partnerships that are increasing in support of faith-based HIV prevention and service delivery activities and discuss the vital role of these faith-based efforts in highly affected black/African American and Latino communities.