Correspondence between Interactive Voice Response and Time-Line Follow-Back Self-Reports of Risky Sexual Behavior among Men-who-have-Sex-with-Men

Surveillance data has indicated that men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) engage in high rates of unprotected anal sex, a known casual risk factor for the spread of HIV infection. Several data collection methods have been developed to enhance response accuracy specific to risky sexual behavior. A commonly used method is the Time-Line Follow-Back (TLFB) interview, a calendar-based technique which respondents report on their sexual behavior each day during a recall period. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology, whereby participants respond to questions via a telephone daily, has become increasingly popular, and may provide a more prospective real-time assessment of risky sexual behavior estimates. The present study examined the degree of correspondence between IVR and TLFB self-reports of risky sexual behavior among MSM. Participants (N = 63; 19% HIV positive; Mean age = 42.15) were part of an on-going clinical trial to reduce their alcohol consumption. Upon randomization, participants called into the IVR system daily for 90-days during treatment engagement. At the end of treatment involvement, the TLFB was administered which covered the same 90-day period. Results indicated moderate correlations between both methods for proportion of unprotected anal intercourse (UAI; r = .63, p < .01), proportion of unprotected anal insertive intercourse (UIAI; r = .53, p < .01) and proportion of unprotected receptive anal intercourse (URAI; r = .54, p < .01) occasions. Paired sample t-tests revealed that reports generated from the IVR were greater for UAI and URAI (p's < .01), but not different for UIAI (p > .05). Study findings indicate that both methods have a high degree of correspondence with one another with a tendency to report greater risky sexual behavior on the IVR. The greater responding on the IVR may be due to the shorter recall period (i.e., past 24-hours) associated with it.