One of the challenges in studying HIV-risk behaviors among gay men is gathering information from a non-biased sample, as traditional probability sampling methods cannot be applied in gay populations. Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS) has been proposed as a reliable and bias-free method to recruit “hidden” populations, such as gay men. The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of RDS to sample Latino gay men and transgender persons. This was carried out when we used RDS to recruit participants into a study that investigated community involvement on HIV/AIDS sexual risk behaviors among Latino gay and bisexual men, and transgender (male-to-female) persons in Chicago and San Francisco. The population coverage of RDS was then compared to simulated time-location sampling (TLS). Recruitment differences were observed across cities, but the samples were comparable. RDS showed broader population coverage than TLS, especially among individuals at high risk for HIV.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Catania, J. A., Canchola, J., Pollack, L., and Chang, J. (2001a, August). Understanding survey sample demographic characteristics of men who have sex with men. In the American Statistical Association 2001 Proceedings of the Section on Survey Research Methods, Atlanta, GA.
Catania, J. A., Osmond, D., Stall, R. D., Pollack, L., Paul, J., Blower, S., Binson, D., Canchola, J. A., Mills, T. C., Fisher, L., Choi, K. H., Porco, T., Turner, C., Blair, J., Henne, J., Bye, L. L., and Coates, T. J. (2001b). The continuing HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men. American Journal of Public Health, 91, 907–914.
Diaz, R. M. (1998). Latino Gay Men and HIV: Culture, Sexuality, and Risk Behavior. New York: Routledge.
Diaz, R. M., Ayala, G., Bein, E., Henne, J., and Marin, B. V. (2001). The impact of homophobia, poverty, and racism on the mental health of gay and bisexual latino men: Findings from 3 US cities. American Journal of Public Health, 91, 927–932.
Heckathorn, D. D. (1997). Respondent-driven sampling: A new approach to the study of hidden populations. Social Problems, 44, 174–99.
Heckathorn, D. D. (2002a). Development of a theory of collective action: From the emergence of norms to AIDS prevention and the analysis of social structure. In J. Berger and M. Zelditch (Eds.), New Directions in Sociological Theory: Growth of Contemporary Theories (pp. 79–108). Rowman and Littlefield.
Heckathorn, D. D. (2002b). Respondent-driven sampling II: Deriving valid population estimates from chain-referral samples of hidden populations. Social Problems, 49, 11–34.
Heckathorn, D. D., Broadhead, R. S., Anthony, D. L., and Weakliem, D. L. (1999). AIDS and social networks: Prevention through network mobilization. Sociological Focus, 32, 159–179.
Heckathorn, D. D. and Jeffri, F. (2003). Social Networks of Jazz Musicians. In Changing the Beat: A Study of the Worklife of Jazz Musicians (Volume III: Respondent-driven sampling: Survey results by the research center for arts and culture). Washington, DC: National Endowment for the Arts Research Division Report # 43, 48–61.
Heckathorn, D. D., Broadhead, R. S., and Sergeyev, B. (2001). A methodology for reducing respondent duplication and impersonation in samples of hidden populations. Journal of Drug Issues, 31, 543–564.
Heckathorn, D. D., Semaan, S., Broadhead, R. S., and Hughes, J. J. (2002). Extensions of respondent-driven sampling: A new approach to the study of injection drug users aged 18–25. AIDS and Behavior, 13, 55–67.
Herek, G. M. (1999). AIDS and Stigma. American Behavioral Scientist, 42, 1102–1112.
MacKellar, D. A., Valleroy, L. A., Karon, J. M., Lemp, G., and Janssen, R. S. (1996). The young men's survey: Methods for estimating HIV seroprevalence and risk factors among young men who have sex with men. Public Health Reports, 111(Suppl. 1), 138–144.
Ramirez-Valles, J. (2002). The protective effects of community involvement for HIV risk behavior: A conceptual framework. Health Education Research, 17, 389–403.
Ramirez-Valles, J., Fergus, S., Reisen, C., Poppen, P., and Zea, M. C. (2005). Confronting stigma: Community involvement and psychological well-being among HIV-positive latino gay men. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 27(1), 101–119.
Ramirez-Valles, J., Zimmerman, M., Suarez, E., and De la Rosa, G. (1998). A patch for the quilt: HIV/AIDS, homosexual men, and community mobilization on the U.S-Mexico border. In G. J. Power and T. Byrd (Eds.), U.S.-Mexico Border Health: Issues for Regional and Migrant Populations (pp. 103–118). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Salganik, M. J., and Heckathorn, D. D. (2004). Making unbiased estimates about hidden populations using respondent-driven sampling. Sociological Methodology.
Stueve, A., O’Donnell, L., Duran, R., Coval, A., and Blome, J. (2001). Time-space sampling in minority communities: Results with young men who have sex with men. American Journal of Public Health, 91, 922–926.
Valleroy, L. A., MacKellar, D. A., Karon, J. M., Rosen, D. H., McFarland, W., Shehan, D. A., Stoyanoff, S. R., Lalota, M., Celentano, D. D., Koblin, B. A., Thiede, H., Katz, M. H., Torian, L. V., and Janssen, R. S. (2000). HIV prevalence and associated risks in young men who have sex with men. JAMA, 284, 198–204.
Zimmerman, M., Ramirez-Valles, J., Suarez, E., De la Rosa, G., and Castro, M. (1997). An HIV/AIDS prevention project for Mexican homosexual men: An empowerment approach. Health Education & Behavior, 24, 177–190.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This study was funded by a National Institute of Mental Health grant MH62937-01 to Jesus Ramirez-Valles. The authors thank the San Francisco and Chicago participants for they precious contributions. We also thank other members of the research team: Dalia García, Andrea Heckert, Lisa Kuhns, Antonio Aguilar, and Jorge Sanchez. Special thanks to Barbara Marin for her support.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ramirez-Valles, J., Heckathorn, D.D., Vázquez, R. et al. From Networks to Populations: The Development and Application of Respondent-Driven Sampling Among IDUs and Latino Gay Men. AIDS Behav 9, 387–402 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-005-9012-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-005-9012-3