Learning from successful interventions: A culturally congruent HIV risk-reduction intervention for African American men who have sex with men and women

Abstract

Few HIV prevention interventions have been developed for African American men who have sex with men or who have sex with both men and women. Many interventions neglect the historical, structural or institutional, and sociocultural factors that hinder or support risk reduction in this high-risk group. We examined ways to incorporate these factors into Men of African American Legacy Empowering Self, a culturally congruent HIV intervention targeting African American men who have sex with men and women. We also studied how to apply key elements from successful interventions to future efforts. These elements include having gender specificity, a target population, a theoretical foundation, cultural and historical congruence, skill-building components, and well-defined goals.