Acculturation, alcohol consumption, and AIDS-related risky sexual behavior among African American men

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between acculturation, alcohol consumption, and AIDS-related risky sexual behavior in a national probability sample of 338 African American men. Results indicated that acculturation did serve as an indicator of AIDS-related risk: Men at low and moderate levels of acculturation were more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior than were their more highly acculturated counterparts. In addition, interaction effects pointed to groups of high acculturated men—single men and heavy drinkers—who also were likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. Findings from the study suggest that effective AIDS prevention messages should be tailored to high-risk groups within specific cultural and ethnic populations and that risk may differ by level of acculturation. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.