BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS AND ASSOCIATED OUTCOMES OVER PARTY-ORIENTED VACATIONS

Rand Corporation, Santa Monica CA

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Dr. Rajeev Ramchand is an early career investigator pursuing the A-START grant mechanism to facilitate his entry into the area of drug abuse research on HIV/AIDS. His proposed research is a feasibility study that aims to understand the importance of intentions in explaining drug-using and sexual behaviors among men who have sex with men (MSM) during a circuit party. A sample of MSM arriving at a circuit party will be recruited and asked about their intentions to use specific drugs and engage in specific sexual behaviors. The same individuals will be contacted after the event and asked about their actual drug use and sexual activities over the course of the weekend. With this rich set of data, Dr. Ramchand proposes four study aims: (1) Identify predictors of pre-event drug-using intentions and willingness to engage in risky sexual behaviors at circuit parties;(2) Test whether normative beliefs about behaviors at circuit parties mediate the relationship between the predictors identified in Specific Aim 1 and behavioral intentions at circuit parties;(3) Estimate the strength of the relationship between specific behavioral intentions and specific behaviors;and (4) Identify the proportion of party-goers who engage in high risk behaviors at circuit parties but do not arrive intending to do so, and examine changes in these individuals'pre- and post-party normative beliefs. The results from this set of study aims will help inform what will be the most promising HIV prevention strategies for this high-risk group at these high-risk venues, and could provide insight into explaining why HIV/AIDS diagnoses are rising for men who have sex with men when they are declining for all other transmission categories. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The goal of this project is two-fold: (1) to help facilitate Dr. Rajeev Ramchand's entry into research on drug abuse and HIV/AIDS;and (2) to assess the role of behavioral intentions on drug-using and sexual behaviors that increase the risk of HIV infection. To accomplish these complementary objectives, Dr. Ramchand, a psychiatric epidemiologist by training and now an associate behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation, will collect anonymous data from gay and bisexual men attending a circuit party both before and after the event. This research will provide insight into the role of intentions on risky behaviors among a group of individuals at high risk for HIV infection, and the results can be used to identify optimal intervention strategies for this group at these potentially risky venues.