The ability to assess risk behaviors and trends in behaviors over time of persons at-risk for HIV is vital to addressing the HIV epidemic. The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) proposes to conduct the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Project, 2011-2015, in the Newark-Union, New Jersey Pennsylvania Metropolitan Division (Newark MD). The Newark MD is comprised of Essex, Union, Morris, Hunterdon and Sussex Counties in New Jersey, and Pike County in Pennsylvania. These five New Jersey counties accounted for 39% of the 57,420 cumulative AIDS cases reported in New Jersey as of December 2009. The county of Essex has the greatest AIDS prevalence among New Jersey's twenty-one counties with 15,644 cumulative cases which represents 29% of the state's total case count. Over the five year period of this grant, the NJDHSS will successively assess HIV risk behaviors among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Years 1 and 4, injection drug users (IDU) in Years 2 and 5, and heterosexuals at increased risk (HET) in Year 3. Data will be collected through the administration of a 30-45 minute survey and a voluntary HIV test. Among the MSM, venue-based sampling (VBS) will be employed;based upon formative research venues where MSM congregate will be randomly selected on a monthly basis. Sampling events will be randomly selected by upon days and times of highest attendance at the venues. Respondent driven sampling will be employed for recruitment during the IDU and HET cycles. The preselected IDU seeds will be engaged to recruit other persons who they know to be IDU;likewise the HET will attempt to recruit other HET. The data collection for the MSM and IDU will continue until a total of 500 eligible persons are enrolled per cycle;recruitment for HET will close with the enrollment of 450 eligible participants. The research findings from the NHBS will be shared with the scientific and public health community through presentations and publications. Reports will include the prevalence and trends in risk and prevention behaviors identified through the survey. The findings may be used by agencies such as the New Jersey HIV/AIDS Planning Group (NJHPG) for use in priority setting, planning and evaluation of HIV prevention services.
