Washington, DC and Long Beach, CA – A new white paper by the National Council of La Raza-California State University Long Beach Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation, and Leadership Training (NCLR-CSULB Center for Latino Health), Redefining HIV/AIDS for Latinos: A Promising New Paradigm for Addressing HIV/AIDS in the Hispanic Community, notes that HIV/AIDS is a health issue affecting virtually every segment of the Latino population and calls for a “new paradigm” to address the issue. The paper was released during a telephonic news briefing today.

“One of every five people with HIV/AIDS in this country is Latino. While the proportion of new HIV cases among Whites has fallen 44% from 1993 to 2004, the proportion of Latino cases has increased 23% over the same period,” said Liany Arroyo, Director of NCLR’s Institute for Hispanic Health (IHH).

The white paper is based on an extensive review of scholarly literature; findings from the NCLR Latino Families HIV/AIDS Needs Assessment, which combined 121 in-depth interviews with HIV-positive Latinos and 18 focus groups involving 201 Hispanics in 14 sites in the U.S. over the 2000-2003 period; and the December 2005 Latinas and HIV Summit at the NCLR-CSULB Center for Latino Health, which brought together 200 scholars, practitioners, community-based organization staff, policy-makers, peer health educators, and others to share experiences and best practices in the field.

“Hispanics’ disproportionately high rate of HIV/AIDS is largely a function of increased transmission of the virus through heterosexual contact, which has more than doubled among both Hispanic males and females within the past three years, and rapidly rising infection rates among Latino youth,” noted Dr. Britt Rios-Ellis, principal investigator for the Needs Assessment study, Director of the NCLR-CSULB Center for Latino Health, and author of the white paper.

“Our interviews and focus groups with HIV-positive and high-risk Latino males and females confirm that among the most significant causes of the epidemic in our community is the complex interplay of traditional gender roles, machismo, stigma, and lack of access to culturally- and linguistically-relevant health care and information,” stated Dr. Rios-Ellis. “The vast majority of the HIV-infected Hispanic women who participated in the study were married or in stable relationships, and had no idea they were at risk. Even those who may have suspected their partners’ risky behaviors felt ‘culturally-bound’ from asking their partners to wear condoms, and those who did typically were refused,” she continued. “The lack of gender and economic power among Latina participants made it difficult for them to negotiate when dealing with sexual and reproductive health issues. The multiple contexts of HIV risk in the Latino community were very complex, and multiple prevention strategies are warranted if we are to effectively address HIV/AIDS.”

“Similarly, many of these same cultural constraints inhibit open communication between parents and their children about sexuality, a finding in the literature that was confirmed by Needs Assessment participants,” Dr. Rios-Ellis observed. “We found that machismo, stigma, and isolation interact among Latino men in several ways to exacerbate the problem. Many Hispanic men who have sex with other men (MSMs) deny this behavior to avoid the stigma related to homosexuality, while machismo may encourage them to have many male and female sexual partners, to believe themselves invulnerable to the virus, and to deny their infection status once known,” she said.

“Our research also demonstrates that current prevention and outreach strategies, largely based on messages aimed at gay White males, have failed to effectively reach the Hispanic community. Time after time, Needs Assessment participants confirmed that they had not been exposed to any Hispanic-focused HIV/AIDS prevention education or media,” stated Dr. Rios-Ellis.

“Fortunately, the research demonstrates that a new, family-centered paradigm shows great promise in reducing HIV/AIDS in the Latino community. By focusing on the traditionally strong family structure in the Latino community, we can empower both Latino males and females to protect the family unit from this health risk, while eliminating the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. Studies show that more empowered Latinas can have a significant impact on their mates’ proclivity to wear condoms, and are more likely to communicate with their children about sex. Meanwhile, by focusing on the man’s traditional obligations to protect his family, this new paradigm could also use machismo as a key, rather than a barrier, to redefine gender roles in the context of HIV prevention,” Dr. Rios-Ellis said.

“We need a new strategy that integrates new, family-focused themes with proven, tested approaches to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Latino community,” asserted Ms. Arroyo. “Specifically, using science-based formative research, we can identify and test compelling messages to increase Hispanics’ awareness of the disease and induce the behavior changes required. We can then deliver these messages through media-based social marketing – the so-called ‘air game’ – combined with a community mobilization strategy using promotores de salud, or lay health educators, to conduct a complementary ‘ground game.’

“We know that current strategies aren’t working. This white paper gives us the critical new knowledge needed to design and implement more promising approaches. We call on all stakeholders in this effort – government, the private sector, and our colleagues in the HIV/AIDS community – to join us in refocusing our effort to fight this pandemic,” Ms. Arroyo concluded.

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About the NCLR-CSULB Center for Latino Community Health: The Center is a partnership between NCLR and CSULB, which works to support health promotion and disease prevention programs in underserved Latino communities nationwide. It accomplishes this by providing technical assistance to NCLR Affiliates and other community-based organizations to inform research and develop program evaluation tools and effectiveness measures, increase the number of Latinos in health professions, and provide evidence to feed health policy processes at the local, state, and national levels. The Center also convenes practitioners and scholars to discuss, analyze, and develop policy strategies and program recommendations that contribute to the elimination of health disparities among Latinos.

About the NCLR Institute for Hispanic Health: IHH is dedicated to reducing the incidence, burden, and impact of health problems in Hispanic Americans. The Institute works in close partnership with NCLR Affiliates, government partners, private funders, and other Hispanic-serving organizations to deliver quality health interventions. These interventions focus on the improvement of access to and utilization of health promotion and disease prevention programs. IHH also is committed to providing technical assistance and science-based approaches that are culturally competent and linguistically appropriate.