Kenneth T. Jones ^1*, Phyllis Gray ², Y. Omar Whiteside ³, Terry Wang ⁴, Debra Bost ², Erica Dunbar ⁴, Evelyn Foust ², Wayne D. Johnson ⁴

¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
² North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Raleigh, NC
³ Metrolina AIDS Project, Charlotte, NC
⁴ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: kjj9{at}cdc.gov.

	Abstract

Objectives. We assessed the efficacy of an HIV behavioral intervention adapted for Black men who have sex with men (MSM).

Methods. We conducted serial cross-sectional surveys, 1 baseline measurement followed by initiation of an intervention and 3 follow-up measurements, among Black MSM in 3 North Carolina cities over 1 year.

Results. We observed significant decreases in unprotected receptive anal intercourse at 4 months (by 23.8%, n=287) and 8 months (by 24.7%, n=299), and in unprotected insertive anal intercourse (by 35.2%), unprotected receptive anal intercourse (by 44.1%), and any unprotected anal intercourse (by 31.8%) at 12 months (n=268). Additionally, at 12 months, the mean number of partners for unprotected receptive anal intercourse decreased by 40.5%. The mean number of episodes decreased by 53.0% for unprotected insertive anal intercourse, and by 56.8% for unprotected receptive anal intercourse. The percentage of respondents reporting always using condoms for insertive and receptive anal intercourse increased by 23.0% and 30.3%, respectively.

Conclusions. Adapting previously proven interventions designed for other MSM can significantly reduce HIV risk behaviors of Black MSM.

Key Words: HIV/AIDS, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Persons, Prevention, African Americans/Blacks