Community planning, HIV prevention, and a needs assessment for men who have sex with men: the South Beach Health Survey.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to plan for a series of culturally competent and sexually appropriate public health interventions for a highly mobile population of men who have sex with men (MSM).

GOAL: The goal of this study was to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment.

STUDY: A cross-sectional survey with a multistage probability sample of unmarried adult MSM living in households was conducted.

RESULTS

A total of 918 residential units were screened, 154 eligible men were identified, and 140 mostly white (56%) and Hispanic (34%) MSM (median=33.5 years old) were enrolled (90.9% response rate). Almost half (47%) reported engaging in unprotected anal intercourse in the previous 12 months. Drug use was common. Almost one third (31.0%) tested positive for the HIV antibody. Estimated annual incidence of HIV infection was 10.0%.

CONCLUSIONS

Population-based HIV antibody testing revealed a remarkably high annual incidence of HIV infection. A community-based organization was transformed to implement a social marketing campaign and provide other disease prevention services for MSM.