U.S. Funding Argentine Gay Sex Study (UPDATED)

This is one of the more bizarre stories I’ve heard in a while, but it’s true.

From a Fox News report:

“Government researchers are spending more than $400,000 in taxpayer money to hit the bars in Argentina. The National Institutes of Health are paying researchers to cruise six bars in Buenos Aires to find out why gay men engage in risky sexual behavior while drunk — and just what can be done about it. Doctors and specialists from the New York Psychiatric Institute are using the generous grant from NIH’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to help tailor HIV prevention programs to work at bars and clubs.”

A National Institutes of Health document, which can be downloaded here, appears to confirm the dollar amount involved in this research. However, according to my calculations, the funding already awarded for this study totals $529,207. Another document, which can be seen here, describes the study’s aims this way:

“Targeting public venues in Buenos Aires where men meet, alcohol is consumed, and sexual behavior occurs, the goal of this 2-year exploratory study is to understand the various factors that contribute to the creation of a high risk sexual space. To that end, the study seeks to describe the relative contribution of physical characteristics of the place, patron characteristics, type and level of alcohol consumption, and social dynamics that are at play and potentiate each other to result in sexual risk behavior.”

It continues:

“Although this study will be conducted through the lens of Argentine culture (which affects norms of alcohol use and sexual behavior), we expect findings to be useful in informing venue-based interventions for these types of venues in other countries.”

This is a two-year running from last September through August, 2010.

The project is led by Iván C. Balán, a “clinical psychologist and researcher at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, where he splits his time between the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies and the Anxiety Disorders Clinic,” according to a biographic description on the HIV Center’s website. The center is also sponsored by Columbia University.

The description of Dr. Balán continues:

“Currently, he is co-investigator and project manager of a study assessing predictors of HIV risk behavior among MSM (Men who have Sex with Men) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His research interests lie in understanding the relationship between mental health and HIV risk behavior, particularly among ethnic minority MSM.”

Another description of Dr. Balán can be found here on the website for Segmedica, where he serves on the company’s advisory board: It says:

“At the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, Dr. Balan’s work focuses on cultural factors contributing to HIV risk behavior and treatment adherence. Currently, he is a Co-Investigator and Project Director for a 4-year NIMH study focusing on these issues in Argentina.”

Along with other researchers, Balán works on the project – a fuller description of which can be seen here – with Alex Carballo-Diéguez, a fellow Ph.D. who obtained his M.A in Industrial Psychology from the Catholic University of Buenos Aires in 1975. They carry out their research in conjunction with María M. Avila, Ph.D. of the University of Buenos Aires.

It’s not clear if this study focuses on looking at behavior in regular bars. A summary of the study says it aims to research behavior at places “where alcohol is consumed and sexual behavior occurs.” Sexual behavior doesn’t occur at most bars or clubs, which begs the question: Exactly what kind of venues are being studied?

I’ve emailed Dr. Balán for comment and will update this post or write a new one when merited.

UPDATE: Dr. Balán declined to comment. But he forwarded my questions to the Public Information Office for the NYS Psychiatric Institute at the Columbia University Medical Center. They sent the following response on his behalf:

“The National Institutes of Health set priorities for research.  U.S. tax dollars for health promotion are spent globally. This study targets a group at high risk of HIV infection in Argentina, which has a concentrated HIV epidemic.   What we learn from this study can inform interventions here in the U.S.  As we have seen with H1N1 and SARS, global epidemics require a global response.”

I asked Dr. Balán three questions about the project. He declined to answer all three. Here they are:

1) Is there something particular about Buenos Aires that makes it a better place to
do this research than, say, NY City or LA?

2) In the NIH Abstract, Argentina is referred to as having a 0.6 percent
HIV prevalence rate in the general population. Is this higher or lower
than in the U.S. and in other countries? Was this rate a key factor in
choosing Argentina?

3) Is there something about Argentine “venues” that make them a
better research target than venues in other countries?

These are simple, straightforward questions, the answers to which could easily provide support for the value of this research. Given the simple nature of the questions and the probable ease with which they could be answered, the decision not to answer them seems odd and likely to further augment the suspicion (well-founded or not) that this story has engendered. It’s a pity. The NIH sponsors massive amounts of research, much of which is valuable not only to U.S. citizens but to people around the world. What’s not clear is if this research in particular falls into that category.

Popularity: 1% [?]