HIV Knowledge and Beliefs Among Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Five hundred men who have sex with men (MSM), recruited through respondent driven sampling in Buenos Aires, Argentina, were interviewed in order to assess knowledge and beliefs about HIV infection. The mean proportion of HIV correct knowledge answers was 62 %; however participants whose sexual partn...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:AIDS and behavior 2013-05, Vol.17 (4), p.1305-1312
Main Authors: Pando, Maria A., Balan, Ivan, Marone, Ruben, Dolezal, Curtis, Barreda, Victoria, Carballo Dieguez, Alex, Avila, Maria M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
Adult
Argentina
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Culture
Disease transmission
Females
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Health Psychology
HIV
HIV Infections - prevention & control
HIV Infections - psychology
HIV Infections - transmission
Homosexuality
Homosexuality, Male - psychology
Homosexuality, Male - statistics & numerical data
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Infectious Diseases
Interviews as Topic
Knowledge
Male
Males
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Men
Original Paper
Prevention
Public Health
Risk Factors
Risk-Taking
Sexual Behavior
Sexual orientation
Sexual Partners
Sexually transmitted diseases
Socioeconomic Factors
STD
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:Five hundred men who have sex with men (MSM), recruited through respondent driven sampling in Buenos Aires, Argentina, were interviewed in order to assess knowledge and beliefs about HIV infection. The mean proportion of HIV correct knowledge answers was 62 %; however participants whose sexual partners in the prior year included women (MSM&W) had lower frequencies of correct answers than participants with no women partners. Men with previous HIV testing experience and those who were HIV positive had higher HIV knowledge. In relation to HIV beliefs, less than half of participants responded correctly to each of the scenarios presented. Accurate answers for all items were more likely among those who only have sex with men. Men have basic HIV knowledge but also many misconceptions about transmission and prevention. Furthermore, MSM&W have less information than those who are exclusively MSM, probably related to the fact that information campaigns specifically targeted gay identified men.
ISSN:1090-7165
1573-3254
DOI:10.1007/s10461-012-0404-x