1. HIV/STI Risk behaviors among Latino migrant workers in New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina disaster.
- Author
-
Kissinger P, Liddon N, Schmidt N, Curtin E, Salinas O, and Narvaez A
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Chlamydia Infections diagnosis, Chlamydia Infections epidemiology, Chlamydia Infections microbiology, Chlamydia Infections transmission, Chlamydia trachomatis isolation & purification, Gonorrhea diagnosis, Gonorrhea epidemiology, Gonorrhea microbiology, Gonorrhea transmission, HIV Infections epidemiology, HIV Infections transmission, Hispanic or Latino, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Male, Middle Aged, New Orleans, Prevalence, Urine microbiology, Young Adult, Cyclonic Storms, Disasters, Risk-Taking, Sexual Behavior statistics & numerical data, Sexually Transmitted Diseases diagnosis, Sexually Transmitted Diseases epidemiology, Sexually Transmitted Diseases etiology, Sexually Transmitted Diseases transmission, Transients and Migrants
- Abstract
Objectives: A rapid influx of Latino migrant workers came to New Orleans after Hurricane-Katrina. Many of these men were unaccompanied by their primary sex partner potentially placing them at high-risk for HIV/STIs. The purpose of this study was to assess HIV/STI sexual risk behavior of these men., Methods: A venue-based sample of Latinos who came to New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina were administered an anonymous, structured interview in Spanish in a mobile unit and urine tested for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhea (GC) using the nucleic acid amplification technique., Results: Participants (n = 180) had a mean age of 33 (range, 18-79), did not speak or understand English very well (93.9%), were undocumented (91.2%), were married (63.5%), and had children (67.4%), though the percent living with spouse and children was 6.1% and 4.9%, respectively. Although most men were born in Honduras (49.7%) and Mexico (25.4%), 61.9% came to New Orleans from another US state. The majority drank alcohol in the past week (75.5%), and of those, 68.7% engaged in binge drinking. A lower percentage used marijuana (16.6%) and cocaine (5.5%) at least once in the prior week. No men reported injection drug use. Self-reported history of HIV was 10%. No men tested positive for GC and 5 (2.8%) tested positive for CT. In the last month, 68.9% engaged in sex with high-risk sex partners, 30.0% were in potential bridge position, 50.0% used condoms inconsistently, 30.6% did not use a condom the last time they had sex, and 21.1% were abstinent. Since arriving, 9.4% reported leaving and returning to New Orleans., Conclusion: Latino migrant workers in New Orleans reported risky sexual behaviors and low condom use within a potential bridge position. Although a low prevalence of CT and GC was found, there was a high percent of self-reported HIV infection. The cultural and contextual factors that place these migrant workers and their sex partner(s) at risk for HIV/STI need further investigation.
- Published
- 2008
- Full Text
- View/download PDF