Formative work and preliminary results using RDS: New Orleans after Katrina

In preparation for the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance of Heterosexuals (NHBS-HET) project, extensive efforts were undertaken by the Louisiana Office of Public Health – HIV/AIDS Program to define, describe, and gain insight into the sub-populations of heterosexuals in the New Orleans metropolitan area. The effects of hurricane Katrina, however, necessitated additional activities in order to adequately assess the validity of secondary data, the recovery of areas targeted by NHBS, and the feasibility of conducting surveys of this type in post-disaster environments. The current presentation describes a quantitative and qualitative examination, conducted approximately one year after Katrina, of social and physical conditions in more than 50 New Orleans census tracts that were classified as “high risk”. Staff performed a series of systematic social observations, brief street interviews and focus groups with residents to assess: neighborhood recovery, relative population return, and the impact on potential respondents' social networks. Findings indicated a wide range of neighborhood recovery levels, heightened research fatigue and institutional distrust, and a dramatic impact on personal networks. Results are discussed within the context of assumptions of respondent-driven sampling and other chain-referral methods.