Community mobilization to prevent HIV transmission in adolescent msm

Objectives: As of 2006, the CDC reported that of men who have sex with men (MSM), HIV/AIDS cases increased most among 12-24 year-old young men who have sex with men (YMSM). In response to this epidemic, Connect to Protect ® (C2P) Philadelphia employs a collaborative approach to the development and implementation of HIV prevention strategies for YMSM. The mission of C2P, based on the theoretical concepts of structural change and community mobilization, is aimed at modifying programs, practices, laws and policies linked to HIV transmission in YMSM. This project sought to facilitate the identification and implementation of structural change objectives aimed at reducing the HIV risk behaviors of YMSM. Methods: The data in this project consisted of the ideas, structural change objectives, and action plans generated by the coalition. Through the interaction with coalition members at subcommittee meetings, structural change objectives (SCOs) and action plans were formulated. The variables of interest in this study are the SCOs, operationally defined as the specific modifications to programs, policies, and practices proposed by the coalition. After SCOs were identified by the coalition, they were recorded on Action Plan Worksheets (APW) and in the Community Activities Log (CAL). All data from the APWs and CALs was entered into the Adolescent Trials Network database. Results: This project explored the linkage between the disproportionate rate of unstable housing among LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning) youth and their risk of engaging in survival sex and contracting HIV. Two structural change objectives aimed at reducing this risk were completed: (1) a hygiene kit donation drive was held and the proceeds were distributed to housing insecure youth through community based agencies and (2) the Philadelphia LGBTQ Alliance of Students Organized for Health (LASOH) was created as a city-wide health students coalition that supports LGBTQ-health initiatives and serves as a vehicle of sustainable structural change. Conclusions: The collaborative work of LASOH is a powerful way to provide service to the city's LGBTQ community. Through coalition building and community mobilization, LASOH and C2P create sustainable structural change and ultimately contribute to decreasing the rate of HIV transmission in YMSM and LGBTQ youth.