Get Real: Evaluation of a Community-Level HIV Prevention Intervention for Young MSM Who Engage in Episodic Substance Use

Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) have high rates of recreational drug use and binge drinking that are related to increases in unprotected sex and HIV risk. We describe the development of a community-level intervention focused on MSM ages 15 to 29 who identify as Black or White and who reported episodic use of alcohol and/or drugs. Intervention content included culturally-relevant role model stories and peer outreach. Outcome measures, including number of partners and a risk score indicating risk for HIV from protected or unprotected insertive or receptive anal sex, were examined over 36 months in a sample of YMSM in Philadelphia, the intervention site, and Baltimore, the comparison site. Decreases in risk scores over time were significantly larger in the intervention sample than in the comparison sample. Effects were greater for YMSM who engaged in binge drinking and/or marijuana use, compared to those who used other drugs.