1

2

3

4

In the early 1990s there was concern about a “second wave” of the HIV/AIDS epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM). As a result, in 1992 a study was conducted in San Francisco to examine HIV prevalence and high risk behaviors in young MSM ages 15 to 25. The HIV prevalence was 9.4% and the enrollees reported high levels of risky sexual behavior.

CDC wanted to find out if the same level of high-risk behavior was occurring in other U.S. cities, so they developed YMS in 1994.

YMS was conducted in seven cities: Baltimore, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle.

In YMS Phase 1 (1994 - 1997), young MSM ages 15 to 22 were interviewed; in YMS Phase 2 (1998 - 2000), young MSM ages 23 to 29 were interviewed.

5

6

After identifying venues in West Hollywood, Hollywood, and Griffith Park that were well attended by MSM, we randomly selected venues and constructed a sampling frame each month.

Trained HIV research counselors recruited young men from those venues and administered a standardized 30-45 minute questionnaire. The interviews were conducted either in a mobile testing unit which had 2 separate interview rooms or the Satellite Testing Office for Research and Education, (S.T.O.R.E.) located in West Hollywood.

Participants received pre and posttest HIV counseling and were tested for HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis.

Participants were paid $50.00 and were given their HIV test results and referrals, if needed or requested.

7

8

The average age of the 494 men interviewed for YMS Phase 2 was 26.

51% of the participants were white, which is a much higher percentage than for Phase 1, where whites were 25% of the sample.

Latinos were 21% of participants in Phase 2 and 36% in Phase 1.

Asians represented 11% of the sample; they were 5% of Phase 1.

African-Americans were 10% of the Phase 2 sample and 19% in Phase 1, where they were oversampled.

9

10

Only 5% of the participants had less than a high school education, while 77% had at least some college.

Sixty-two percent had full time jobs, and 15% worked part-time.

The majority of participants (85%) lived either with friends or alone. Two percent were homeless and/or lived in a shelter.

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36