Soaring rates of infection within the African-American MSM community make it necessary to identify effective HIV testing strategies specifically for this population. An epidemiological study focusing on five large cities-including New York-revealed that almost half of all African American MSM tested were HIV- positive (McKeller, et al 2006). In addition, 67% of these men were unaware of their sero-status prior to testing. Recent NYC epidemiological data indicate that 41% of all new infections among black men resulted from unsafe same sex behaviors (NYCDHMH 2005). This same source suggests that a disproportionate number of HIV infected MSM live in Central Harlem and the South Bronx, areas that continue to have some of the highest prevalence rates in the city. The major objective of our investigation, then, is to initiate a prospective program of research to fill gaps in knowledge concerning effective intervention strategies for African American MSM in high-risk communities such as ours. More specifically, our aims are: ? ? 1) to compare the efficacy of three strategies-Partner Counseling and Referral Services (PCRS), social networking, and alternative testing venues-for identifying and testing previously-undiagnosed, 18-64 year old, African American MSM by determining the total number tested by each strategy, the risk behaviors reported for persons tested by each strategy, and the total number of previously undiagnosed, HIV-positive African American MSM who are linked to appropriate medical care and prevention services by each strategy; ? 2) to conduct a cost/resource analysis to evaluate the relative cost of identifying each previously undiagnosed, HIV-positive African American MSM for each of these strategies; and ? 3) 3) to determine the key variables associated with resistance and barriers to HIV testing in African American MSM, which will contextualize the cost efficacy of each recruitment strategy. ? ? This investigation will employ both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. Quantitative work will focus on extracting socio-demographic, risk-assessment, testing, and medical data, from program records for study participants, who will have self-selected into each recruitment strategy. Cost data will also be tracked for these programs. These data will be used to generate a unit cost for each strategy. Qualitative research, in the form of formal focus groups with randomly selected members of the target population who have received services through this initiative, will examine service quality and client perspective and feelings about the recruitment strategy through which they came to be tested for HIV and connected to care. Feedback from participants will also identify ways of improving testing and care services. ? ? ?
| McCree, Donna H; Millett, Gregorio; Baytop, Chanza et al. (2013) Lessons learned from use of social network strategy in HIV testing programs targeting African American men who have sex with men. Am J Public Health 103:1851-6 |
