Venue-based affiliation networks and HIV risk-taking behavior among male sex workers.

ABSTRACT:

Background

This study examined venue-based networks constituted by affiliation with gay bars and street intersections where male sex workers (MSWs) congregate to find their sexual/drug-sharing partners and network influence on risky sexual behavior (e.g., unprotected anal intercourse [UAI]) and HIV infection.

Methods

Data collected in 2003 to 2004 in Houston, Texas, consists of 208 MSWs affiliated with 15 gay bars and 51 street intersections. Two-mode network analysis was conducted to examine structural characteristics in affiliation networks, as well as venue-based network influence on UAI and HIV infection.

Results

Centralized affiliation patterns were found where only a few venues were popular among MSWs, and these were highly interdependent. Distinctive structural

SUBMITTER: Fujimoto K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3675278 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature