163310 Methodological issues in a dual-core HIV-risk sample (drug users, MSM) recruited through respondent driven sampling

Tuesday, November 6, 2007: 1:15 PM

Martin Y. Iguchi, PhD , Drug Policy Research Center, RAND, Santa Monica, CA
Sandra Berry, MA , Health, RAND, Santa Monica, CA
Allison Ober, MSW , Drug Policy Research Center, RAND, Santa Monica, CA
Richard Jenkins, PhD , Division of Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda, MD
Richard Rothenberg, MD , Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Douglas Heckathorn, PhD , Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
           
Background: In 2004, NIDA initiated the Sexual Acquisition and Transmission of HIV Cooperative Agreement Program (SATHCAP). Study goal is to model the dynamic behavioral, biological, and environmental processes involved in the sexual transmission of HIV and other STIs from and among men who have sex with men (MSM) and drug users (DUs - defined as users of heroin, methamphetamine, powder/crack cocaine, or injection drugs), as well as the sexual diffusion of HIV/STI to their drug using and non-drug using sexual partners.

Methods: Participants are recruited through respondent-driven sampling (RDS; Heckathorn, 1997) in four cities: Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL; Raleigh-Durham, NC; and St. Petersburg, Russia. SATHCAP is unique in that it uses a dual RDS recruitment strategy to simultaneously recruit DUs and MSM. This dual recruitment strategy allows for an examination of ties (MSM recruiting DUs, DUs recruiting MSM) between these two HIV risk populations. SATHCAP also differs from previous studies in that it uses the RDS recruited core as the base for a second stage recruitment of sexual partners (and sexual partners of sexual partners).

Lessons learned and recommendations: Over 3,300 interviews were collected for Wave 1. The extent of referral links between risk populations was extensive in the U.S. sites and minimal in St. Petersburg. This presentation describes methodological issues we encountered in implementing this RDS-based sampling approach our assessment of consistency with RDS sampling assumptions, and issues we encountered /considered in weighting the sample.

Learning Objectives:
Participants will gain a better understanding of methodological considerations when using respondent driven sampling. Participants will gain a better understanding of methodological considerations when using respondent driven sampling to recruit more than one at-risk population. Participants will better understand the basic theoretical assumptions underlying the use of respondent driven sampling. Participants will learn how and why we used an RDS sample as the base for a second stage recruitment of sexual partners.

Keywords: Drug Use, Sexual Risk Behavior

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Methodological Considerations for Recruitment, Data Collection, and Assessment in HIV Research
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