Risk behaviours for HIV infection among travelling Mexican migrants: The Mexico–US border as a contextual risk factor

ABSTRACT

The Mexico–US border region is a transit point in the trajectory of Mexican migrants travelling to and from the USA and a final destination for domestic migrants from other regions in Mexico. This region also represents a high-risk environment that may increase risk for HIV among migrants and the communities they connect. We conducted a cross-sectional, population-based survey, in Tijuana, Mexico, and compared Mexican migrants with a recent stay on the Mexico–US border region (Border, n = 553) with migrants arriving at the border from Mexican sending communities (Northbound, n = 1077). After controlling for demographics and migration history, border migrants were more likely to perceive their risk for HIV infection as high in this region and regard this area as a liberal place for sexual behaviours compared to Northbound migrants reporting on their perceptions of the sending communities (p < .05). Male border migrants were more likely to engage in sex, and have unprotected sex, with female sex workers during their recent stay on the border compared to other contexts (rate ratio = 3.0 and 6.6, respectively, p < .05). Binational and intensified interventions targeting Mexican migrants should be deployed in the Mexican border region to address migration related HIV transmission in Mexico and the USA.

KEYWORDS:

• Mexican migrants
• Mexico–US border region
• HIV infection
• risk behaviours
• social norm

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the National Institute of Child and Human Development (grant R01 HD046886). The authors are also grateful for support from the Center For Demography and Ecology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, funded by a grant from the NIH/NICHD (P2C HD047873).