Background:
Since June 2000, confidential and voluntary HIV testing along with behavioral risk factor information was collected from men who have sex with men (MSM) housed in a segregated unit in a Los Angeles County Jail.

Objectives:
To determine behavioral risk factors and the accuracy of self-reported HIV status.

Methods:
Inmates provided blood for ELISA/Western Blot HIV testing. Self-reported behavioral data was collected through an interview. Data from June 2000-May 2001 was analyzed using logistic regression and the kappa statistic.

Results:
Of the 521 individuals included in the sample, 24% of the participants were between 35 and 39, 61% were white, 34% were Black, and 20% reported a positive HIV status. Older-aged inmates, 35-39 years, were more likely to report a positive HIV status as compared to younger persons aged 20-24 (OR = 7.14, 95% CI 1.82, 25). African Americans were twice as likely as Caucasians to self-report a positive HIV status (OR = 2.04, 95% CI 1.15, 3.70). Ever attending a bathhouse to meet partners was positively associated with a reported positive HIV status (OR = 4.63, 95% CI 1.68, 12.76). Of the 339 individuals who agreed to test, 94% were found to have accurately reported their HIV status (Kappa = 0.68).

Conclusion:
Older individuals and African Americans were more likely to report a positive HIV status as were individuals who ever attended a bathhouse. Although misclassification of HIV status may exist among those individuals who did not test for HIV, a high concordance between self-report and verified HIV serostatus is observed among the majority of inmates.

Implications for Programs:
Incarcerated MSM are a sentinel population for monitoring HIV and behavioral surveillance, while needing STD case management and interventions.

Implications for Research:
Further analysis of whether predictors of self-reported HIV status are the same for lab confirmed HIV status is needed.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this section, participants will be able to describe the HIV prevalence among incarcerated men in this setting.

Contact Information:
Chandra Higgins /chiggins@ucla.edu