Summary

CIRCA was engaged by NSW Health to undertake foundational research on culturally and linguistically diverse men who have sex with men, who do not publicly or openly identify as gay. The purpose of the research was to inform the development of a targeted HIV Testing Campaign.

The overall project involved several stages:

1. Identification of CALD groups to target for inclusion in data collection

2. Development of data collection materials

3. Recruitment and data collection

4. Reporting and Communications Strategy Development

CIRCA’s Research Approach

Due to the highly sensitive nature of this project among the cohorts targeted (Arabic-speaking and Mandarin-speaking men), it was anticipated that the recruitment process would be difficult and participants hard to reach. For this reason, several recruitment strategies were used, including online advertising and recruitment through intermediary networks and organizations.

CIRCA conducted one-on-one interviews with 6 Mandarin-speaking participants and one Arabic-speaking participant, and lasted approximately one hour each. They were facilitated by CIRCA’s bilingual research consultants and were conducted either in-language or in English if there was a strong preference by the participant.

Research Findings and Outcomes

The findings provided insights into these men’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviors towards HIV and HIV testing, as well as their current practices and concerns regarding access to sexual health information. In addition, the research revealed their preferences in terms of methods and channels of communication, and preferred languages for engagement.

These research findings informed the development of a Communications Strategy developed by CIRCA’s sister firm, Cultural Perspectives,  to inform both messaging and tactics of a broader CALD audience campaign.