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An Intersectional Approach to HIV Vulnerabilities and Testing Among Heterosexual African Caribbean and Black Men in London, Ontario: Results From the weSpeak Study

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Abstract

Heterosexual African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) men are a vulnerable group to HIV infection in Canada, but little is known about their uptake of HIV testing services. Studies on ACB men HIV vulnerabilities have largely focused on behavioural factors. While these studies have contributed to the current HIV prevention success in Canada, little attention has been paid to structural factors that intersect with prevailing behaviours to reinforce vulnerabilities. Drawing insights from intersectionality theory, we examined healthcare access and HIV testing among heterosexual ACB men in London, Ontario. We fitted the negative log-log link function to 155 individuals’ survey. Results show that participants, who had difficulty accessing healthcare, experienced discrimination, and were young, were all less likely to test for HIV. Even though the probability of testing for HIV increased after accounting for the effect of structural factors, the marginal impact was higher for those without any difficulty accessing healthcare than those with difficulty. Findings are discussed within the broader theory of intersectionality and recommendations made for public health policy.

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Acknowledgements

We are very thankful to the weSpeak participants for their time and willingness to participate in this study. We also like to acknowledge financial support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN). Lastly, we will like to appreciate Moses Kansanga and Daniel Kpienbaareh insightful and scholarly comments on earlier versions of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Western University, London, Canada

    Irenius Konkor, Roger Antabe & Isaac Luginaah

  2. Department of Women’s Studies, Western University, London, Canada

    Erica S. Lawson

  3. Regional HIV/AIDS Connection, London, Ontario, Canada

    Martin D. McIntosh

  4. Ontario HIV Treatment Network, Toronto, Canada

    Winston Husbands

  5. Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada

    Josephine Wong

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  1. Irenius Konkor
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Correspondence to Irenius Konkor.

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Konkor, I., Lawson, E.S., Antabe, R. et al. An Intersectional Approach to HIV Vulnerabilities and Testing Among Heterosexual African Caribbean and Black Men in London, Ontario: Results From the weSpeak Study. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 7, 1140–1149 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-020-00737-3

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