Exploring Latino men's HIV risk using community-based participatory research

Objectives: To explore sociocultural determinants of HIV risk and identify potential intervention approaches among adult Latino men. Methods: Using community-based participatory research for study design and implementation and data analysis, 7 focus groups were conducted with members of a soccer league in central North Carolina. Results: Five themes emerged, including perceived barriers to accessing health care, the role of hegemonic masculinity in risk, and potentially effective intervention approaches to health promotion and disease prevention. Conclusions: Latino soccer leagues may provide an effective social network with which to partner to design, implement, and evaluate interventions to reduce sexual risk among Latino men, who have been inaccessible in conventional HIV/STD prevention programs.