HIV risk perception in young homosexual women from Cali, Colombia

Risk perception is a cognitive process that allows people to organize information and assess their exposure to a hazard. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the risk perception towards HIV in young homosexual women from Cali, Colombia. Six homosexual women participated in this research, which has a qualitative narrative design. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed through Thematic Analysis. The findings indicate that women have low knowledge about HIV and the use of preventive methods was not reported. It was found that their beliefs about HIV have been built on their interaction with peers and health service providers. These results provide an initial understanding of how and why to develop comprehensive prevention strategies for this population.