Alcohol, HIV, Risks, and Mexican American College Students (MACSR)

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Alcohol, HIV, Risks, and Mexican American College Students (MACSR)

Principal Investigator: Gilbert Quintero, Ph.D.
Start and End Dates: 1/1/01 – 6/30/03
Sources of Funding: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

This project was designed as a two-year qualitative exploratory study that was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Although there is research on the links between alcohol use and sexual risk taking among college students as a whole, there is very little information specifically related to Mexican American college students’ behavior. The overall goal of this research project was to explore the social context of drinking and HIV risk behaviors among Mexican American college students.

Specific aims of the project were to:
* identify and explore the role of drinking in sexual risk taking;
* document and examine cultural norms governing drinking and sexual behavior;
* understand the social context of drinking and sexual risk taking; and
* produce an ethnographic description of alcohol use and HIV risk behaviors among Mexican American college students in New Mexico.

The accomplishments of the project include:
* 59 participants were enrolled in the study;
* preliminary and follow-up interviews were conducted and diaries reviewed; and
* data management processes were implemented, which included transcription, coding, and preliminary analyses of qualitative data.

For additional information, please contact Dr. Gilbert Quintero, (505) 272-4462 or giquintero@salud.unm.edu.