A Scoping Review of the Impact of HIV Interventions on HIV Risk Factors and Incidence Among the U.S. Hispanic Population

The U.S. Hispanic population faces several HIV health disparities, with incidence rates significantly higher compared to non-Hispanic whites. Interventions have been developed focused on reducing HIV among the Hispanic community. This scoping review aimed to examine the common themes present in these existing interventions and their respective impacts on HIV risk factors and incidence among the U.S. Hispanic population. PubMed was used to identify relevant studies. Ten studies were included in the final review. All ten studies utilized ten different interventions. The common themes utilized in the evaluated HIV interventions were, culturally tailored, adolescent-specific, family-oriented, gender-specific, sexuality-specific, and group-based. Seven of the interventions utilized multiple themes, 1 utilized only 1 theme, and 2 did not utilize any common themes. Significant improvements in HIV risk behaviors were reported in relation to condom use, substance use, HIV knowledge, family functioning, and self-efficacy. Interventions that utilized a combination of culturally tailored and group-based themes were the most successful at reducing HIV risk behaviors, particularly condomless sex. Adolescent-specific and family-oriented interventions significantly reduced HIV risk behaviors among adolescents and could address the root issues related to increased HIV incidence at a vital time in development. Gender and sexuality-specific interventions improved self-efficacy in addition to condom use and offer a valid pathway to reducing adherence to traditional gender norms that contribute to increased risk behaviors. Interventions should be tailored to the specific population they target to best address their distinct needs and reduce HIV risk behaviors and incidence among the U.S. Hispanic population