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Abstract
Reaching men who have sex with men through long-chain referral recruitment, Guangzhou, China
Q. He1, Y. Zhang2, Y. Wang2, P. Lin2, H. Raymond3, L. Ling4, W. McFarland5
Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) may account for an increasing proportion of China’s HIV epidemic, but remain hard to reach for epidemiological studies due to high stigma.
Methods: We compared the composition of two samples of MSM obtained in Guangzhou, China, particularly with respect to reaching migrant, young, and lower-income MSM and those at higher risk for HIV. The first survey, conducted in 2004, recruited 201 MSM through convenience sampling within two months. The second in 2006, with the same eligibility criteria as 2004, recruited 423 MSM within three months used long-chain referral recruitment in the context of respondent-driven sampling.
Results: Compared to 2004, the 2006 survey included more migrant MSM (i.e., those without official Guangzhou residence status or “hukou”), more MSM under 25 years, more unemployed, and more MSM with income under $125 per month. In 2004 most MSM surveyed had some college education, whereas in 2006 only a minority did. Several risk indicator variables were higher among MSM in the 2006 survey compared to 2004, including first sex with a man when under 18 years, paying for sex, and being paid for sex. Sex with a foreign MSM was lower in 2006 compared to 2004. Illicit drug use, HIV testing, and STI testing were comparable between surveys. Self-identifying as homosexual and bisexual was also comparable in the two samples.
Conclusions: Long-chain referral recruitment successfully reached segments of the MSM population in Guangzhou missed by convenience sampling, including subgroups of particular relevance to the HIV epidemic. We conclude that long-chain referral recruitment will be more effective in tracking the leading edge of the epidemic among MSM in China than variations of convenience sampling based on our experience of its efficiency in the field and ability to obtain a diverse sample of this relatively hidden population.
AIDS 2008 - XVII International AIDS Conference
Abstract no.
WEPDC202
Suggested Citation
"Q.He, et al.
Reaching men who have sex with men through long-chain referral recruitment, Guangzhou, China.
Poster Discussion:
AIDS 2008 - XVII International AIDS Conference:
Abstract no.
WEPDC202"
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