Better outreach for gay Hispanics needed.

Public health workers fighting HIV rates in Hispanic communities might need to tweak their education tactics to reach gay and bisexual men and transgender people, according to a study published in the June issue of APHA's American Journal of Public Health.

In a study of more than 600 people in Chicago and San Francisco, researchers found that HIV-related factors, such as education, income and employment, may play out differently among Hispanic communities because of immigration issues. As such, the "usual health benefits associated with education may not translate when individuals migrate to other countries in search of economic opportunities," the study authors wrote. Such an observation is critical, as researchers found that alcohol use is widespread among Hispanic gay and bisexual men and transgender people, with 37 percent of study participants in Chicago classified as heavy drinkers.

Like other gay ethnic minority populations, researchers found a link between drug use and unprotected sex. Surprisingly, they also found that years of formal education was linked to a higher chance of having unprotected sex among Hispanic gay and bisexual men and transgender persons.

"Latino (gay, bisexual and transgender) persons with higher levels of education may have access to multiple and diverse sexual partners, sexual networks and sexual intercourse outlets not available to those with low education levels and may therefore be more likely to engage in unprotected sexual intercourse," the study stated. (Page 1,036)