HIV Risk Perception, HIV Knowledge, and Sexual Risk Behaviors among Transgender Women in South Florida.
Joseph P De Santis, Shayne D Hauglum, Diego A Deleon and 2 others
PMID 27921325WHAT IT FOUND
Transgender women in this sample showed low perceived HIV risk and gaps in HIV knowledge, but these did not correlate with their reported sexual risk behaviors.
Older age, longer US residence, and more education were linked to lower sexual risk.
Key findings
01No statistically significant relationships were found between HIV risk perception and sexual risk behaviors, or between HIV risk perception and HIV knowledge.
02Sexual risk behavior was negatively correlated with age, years living in the U.S., and years of education.
03The sample had low mean scores on the Perceived Risk for HIV Infection scale, suggesting inadequate HIV risk perceptions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The use of snowball sampling can result in a homogenous sample with little variability among participants. The research instruments had not been previously normed with transgender women. The small sample size limits generalizability. The study was a pilot, so findings are preliminary and require confirmation in larger studies.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that HIV risk perception or knowledge are ineffective targets for intervention. The null finding may reflect the small sample size, the use of instruments not normed for transgender women, or the homogeneity of the snowball sample. The observed correlations with age, education, and years in the U.S. suggest demographic factors may play a role in sexual risk behaviors that warrants further investigation.