Gay Neighborhoods: Can They Be Identified in a Systematic Way Using Latent Class Analysis?

• Published in: Archives of sexual behavior Vol. 51; no. 7; pp. 3395 - 3401
• Main Authors: Mauck, Daniel E., Fennie, Kristopher P., Ibañez, Gladys E., Fenkl, Eric A., Sheehan, Diana M., Maddox, Lorene M., Spencer, Emma C., Trepka, Mary Jo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.10.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Behavioral Science and Psychology; Gays & lesbians; Kappa coefficient; Latent class analysis; Mens health; Neighborhoods; Original Paper; Psychology; Public Health; Sexual Behavior; Social Sciences; Sexual orientation; Gay neighborhoods; Latent class analysis; Gay men; Pre-exposure prophylaxis
• ISSN: 0004-0002; 1573-2800
• DOI: 10.1007/s10508-022-02369-6

Identifying gay neighborhoods could help in targeting HIV prevention efforts for men who have sex with men. This study’s purpose was to identify gay neighborhoods using latent class analysis (LCA). Data at the ZIP code level were drawn from the American Community Survey, website lists of gay bars and neighborhoods, and the Florida Department of Health HIV surveillance system. A two-class model was selected based on fit. About 9% of the ZIP code data was in class two, which was designated as gay neighborhoods. Cohen’s kappa coefficient was used to examine agreement between the classification of ZIP codes from LCA and websites. Fair agreement was found (0.2501). Gay neighborhoods could serve as a place to disseminate information about pre-exposure prophylaxis and other methods for HIV prevention. Improved measures, such as the planned question about same-sex spouses for the 2020 US Census, are needed to identify gay neighborhoods in population-level surveys.