Abstract
Finding and accessing members of youth subpopulations, such as young men who have sex with men (YMSM) of color or young females of color, for behavioral or disease surveillance or study recruitment, pose particular challenges. Venue-based sampling strategies—which hinge on where individuals congregate or “hang out” rather than where they live—appear to be effective alternatives. Methods used to identify venues focus on engaging members of social networks to learn where targeted populations congregate. However, it is not always clear if and how these methods differ according to gender, whether the youth accessed at a venue are actually from neighborhoods in which the venues are found, and whether the location of venues relative to neighborhoods of residence is different for young men and young women. This study illustrates the gender differences in venue type and venue location where eligible youth study participants from high-risk neighborhoods could be accessed for HIV research across 15 research sites (sites). The findings indicate that the study’s method led to identifying venues where one quarter or more of the youth were eligible study participants and from the high-risk neighborhoods. Sites targeting young women of color had a higher proportion of eligible study participants who were also from the high-risk neighborhoods than sites targeting YMSM. Clubs were most commonly identified by sites targeting YMSM as recruitment venues, whereas neighborhood-based service or commercial centers were more common venues for young women of color. This study reveals how venue-based recruitment strategies can be tailored and resources maximized by understanding the key differences in the types of venues preferred by males and females and by recognizing that female-preferred venues are more likely to be closer to home.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge Connect to Protect’s current National Coordinating Center staff members and consultants: Nancy Willard, BA; Grisel Robles-Schrader, BA; Bendu-Cooper Walker, MPH and Vincent Francisco, PhD. The authors also acknowledge support of DePaul University’s Quality Assurance Team including Gary Harper, PhD, MPH and Leah Neubauer, BA; individuals from the ATN Data and Operations Center (Westat, Inc.) including Jim Korelitz, PhD; Barbara Driver, RN, MS; Lori Perez, PhD; Rick Mitchell, MS; Stephanie Sierkierka, BA; and Dina Monte, BSN; and individuals from the ATN Coordinating Center at the University of Alabama including Craig Wilson, MD; Cindy Partlow, MEd; Marcia Berck, BA; and Pam Gore. The following list includes ATN sites that participated in the study and staff that assisted with study activities described in this paper: University of South Florida: Patricia Emmanuel, MD; Diane Straub, MD; Shannon Cho, BS; Georgette King, MPA; Mellita Mills Kendrick, BS. Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles: Marvin Belzer, MD; Miguel Martinez, MSW/MPH; Veronica Montenegro, Ana Quiran, Angele Santiago, Gabriela Segura, BA; and George Weiss, BA. Children’s Hospital National Medical Center: Lawrence D’Angelo, MD; William Barnes, PhD; Bendu Cooper-Walker, MPH and Cassandra McFerson, BA. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: Brett Rudy, MD; Alexia Clarke; Quincy Greene, BA; Greta Anschuetz; and Salimah El-Amin. John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital and the CORE Center: Lisa Henry-Reid, MD; Jaime Martinez, MD; Zephyr Beason, MSW; and Draco Forte, Med. University of Puerto Rico: Irma Febo, MD; Ileana Blasini, MD; Ibrahim Ramos-Pomales, MPHE; and Carmen Rivera-Torres, MPH. Montefiore Medical Center: Donna Futterman, MD; Sharon S. Kim, MPH; Lissette Marrero. Mount Sinai Medical Center: Linda Levin, MD; Meg Jones, MPH; and Michael Camacho, BA. University of California at San Francisco: Barbara Moscicki, MD; Catherine Geanuracos, MSW; and Kevin Sniecinski, BS. Tulane University Health Sciences Center: Sue Ellen Abdalian, MD; Lisa Doyle, Trimika Fernandez, MS; and Sybil Schroeder, PhD. University of Maryland: Ligia Peralta, MD; Bethany Griffin Deeds, PhD; Sandra Hipszer, MPH; Maria Metcalf, MPH; and Kalima Young, BA. University of Miami School of Medicine: Lawrence Friedman, MD; Kenia Sanchez, MSW; Benjamin Quiles, BSW; and Shirleta Reid. Children’s Diagnostic and Treatment Center: Ana Puga, MD; Jamie Blood, MSW; and Jessica Roy, MSW. Children’s Hospital Boston: Cathryn Samples, MD; Wanda Allen, BA; Lisa Heughan, BA; Meqdes Mesfin, MPH; and Judith Palmer-Castor, PhD. University of California at San Diego: Stephen Spector, MD; Rolando Viani, MD; Stephanie Lehman, PhD; and Mauricio Perez. We recognize the thoughtful input given by members of our national and local Youth Community Advisory Boards.
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Chutuape, K.S., Ziff, M., Auerswald, C. et al. Examining Differences in Types and Location of Recruitment Venues for Young Males and Females from Urban Neighborhoods: Findings from a Multi-Site HIV Prevention Study. J Urban Health 86, 31–42 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-008-9329-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-008-9329-0