Salud y Orgullo Mexicano: Development of a Culturally Specific Transnational Linkage and Retention in Care Intervention for Mexican Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV in Chicago.

Amy K Johnson,Bridget Magner,Gilberto Soberanis,Banita Mccarn,Andres Maiorana,Román Buenrostro

doi:10.1007/s10903-021-01185-9

Abstract

This manuscript documents the development of an innovative individual-level peer navigation intervention "Salud y Orgullo Mexicano" (SOM) designed to increase linkage and retention to HIV care for Mexican men who have sex with men (MSM) in Chicago, Illinois. The intervention was developed via a modified intervention mapping process. Elements of two existing interventions were combined and refined with input from the Mexican MSM community, including informant interviews, an expert advisory board, and a design team. A manualized transnational intervention was developed via intervention mapping. A peer health navigation intervention "SOM" was created using intervention mapping and input from the focus community. Next steps include implementing and evaluating the intervention to determine acceptability and efficacy.

Highlights

Latinos in the United States are disproportionately affected by HIV having the second highest rate of diagnoses of all racial/ethnic groups and nearly three times the rate for nonHispanic whites [1, 2]
While it is estimated that 84% of Latino men who have sex with men (MSM) with HIV are aware of their status, only 49% are retained in HIV care and 50% are virally suppressed while the national goal is > 80% [3]
After reviewing all information available, the interventions selected to inform Salud y Orgullo Mexicano (SOM) were ARTAS and project IN-CARE, as these programs were found to be effective and had components that were amenable to adaptation, had evidence of efficacy with racial and ethnic minority MSM, and demonstrated evidence to impact both linkage to and retention in HIV care [11,12,13]

Summary

Introduction

Latinos in the United States are disproportionately affected by HIV having the second highest rate of diagnoses of all racial/ethnic groups and nearly three times the rate for nonHispanic whites [1, 2]. While men who have sex with men (MSM) comprise only 2% of the population, they accounted for almost 70% of new HIV diagnoses in the United States in 2016 [3]. Latino MSM in the United States are. Among all MSM who were diagnosed with HIV in 2016, Latinos accounted for the second highest number (29%), following African Americans, at a rate of nearly three times that of non-Hispanic Whites [3]. From 2011 to 2015 overall HIV diagnoses among Latino MSM increased 13% [3]. One in five Latino MSM will acquire HIV in their lifetime [3]

Methods

Results

Conclusion