HIV prevention for male couples in Africa

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Investigator: Lynae Darbes, PhD
Sponsor: University of Michigan

Location(s): Namibia; South Africa

Description

There is a dearth of research regarding HIV and men who have sex with men (MSM) in Africa. Work from the US and elsewhere has shown that a significant number of new HIV infections among MSM occur from primary partners. Similarly, relationship contexts have been associated with sexual risk behavior among MSM. Understanding the factors associated with HIV-risk among MSM and their partners in Southern Africa has the potential to provide significant insights into the design of prevention messages and interventions to reduce HIV among MSM in this setting. We propose an innovative mixed methods study to understand the HIV prevention needs in two Southern African countries (South Africa and Namibia) to inform the development of dyadic interventions aimed at male couples.