Youth and AIDS: testing and risk management among self-declared gay or bisexual men

Abstract An AIDS challenge in Brazil refers to HIV cases among men with bi and homosexual practices aged 15 to 24. Given the encouragement of regular HIV testing in current national policies, this work analyzed HIV risk management among 15 self-identified gay or bisexual men, aged 18 to 24, who took the test in the last year. Based on a qualitative study, interviews were carried out with young people, contacted during testing actions promoted by an NGO in Rio de Janeiro, in 2022. The majority were attending higher education and revealed that they knew the means of preventing HIV. Self-care practices were defined according to the type of sexual interaction, agreements between emotional/sexual partners, the person's ties and appearance, and proximity to people living with HIV/AIDS. It appears that regular HIV testing represents a practice of serological self-surveillance that has not been accompanied by educational actions on HIV risk management strategies. It is necessary to create spaces for ongoing dialogue and learning about HIV prevention, considering sexual views, practices and relationships, confronting the stigma of AIDS and sexual diversity and conditions of vulnerability to HIV.