Patterns of Social Affiliations and Healthcare Engagement Among Young, Black, Men Who Have Sex With Men.

ABSTRACT: Little work has examined how individuals' social affiliations-the venues in which they meet friends and engage in informal social interaction-influence their engagement with public health services. We investigate how links to these local places shape access to information and exposure to health-seeking behavior. Using longitudinal data from a respondent-driven sample of 618 young black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) in Chicago, we identify different sets of social venues that connect YBMSM. We then examine how YBMSM's connections within this network influence their receipt of HIV prevention and treatment services and knowledge of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Our results show that YBMSM's positions within Chicago's venue network shape the types of health-related services they access,

SUBMITTER: Behler RL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5522368 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature