Formative research to optimize respondent-driven sampling surveys among hard-to-reach populations in HIV behavioral and biological surveillance: lessons learned from four case studies

Johnston, Lisa G.; Whitehead, Sara J.; Simic-Lawson, Milena; Kendall, Carl

doi:10.1080/09540120903373557

Cited by 94 publications

(87 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…As has been noted by others, 12 communities of hidden and stigmatized populations may be more or less interconnected depending on local characteristics and network dynamics, so our findings may not generalize to other urban areas or populations of YMSM. In particular, Chicago is a city characterized by racial segregation in neighborhoods and schools; 35 thus, other communities in which this segregation is not as present may not have the same level of segmentation in YMSM networks found herein.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…Young MSM (YMSM) may not be well connected to other YMSM (e.g., due to evolving sexual identity, internalization of sexual minority stigma, and lack of disclosure to others) and be less mobile (e.g., due to parental monitoring, lack of access to transportation) which may inhibit the RDS sampling process. Prior research suggests that RDS sampling may be less feasible among MSM in communities in which high levels of stigma limit connections within the population 12,13 or where problems with transportation/mobility can slow down the recruitment process. [14][15][16][17] Furthermore, RDS samples may overrepresent individuals of lower socioeconomic status (i.e., who may have more reason to participate due to the recruitment incentives), including individuals living with HIV or those with substance use problems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluation of Respondent-Driven Sampling in a Study of Urban Young Men Who Have Sex with Men

et al. 2014

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Evidence suggests that respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is an efficient approach to sampling among varied populations of adult men who have sex with men (MSM) both in the USA and abroad, although no studies have yet evaluated its performance among younger MSM, a population with a steep rise in HIV infection in recent years. Young MSM (YMSM) may differ in terms of their connectedness to other YMSM (e.g., due to evolving sexual identity, internalization of sexual minority stigma, and lack of disclosure to others) and mobility (e.g., due to parental monitoring) which may inhibit the sampling process. The aims of this study were to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of RDS-based sampling among young urban MSM and to identify factors associated with recruitment success. We hypothesized that demographic, social, behavioral, and network factors, including racial/ethnic minority status, homelessness (i.e., as an indicator of socioeconomic marginalization), HIV-positive status, substance use problems, gay community connectedness, and network size would be positively related to recruitment productivity, while sexual minority stigmatization, environmental barriers (e.g., parental monitoring), and meeting sex partners on the internet (i.e., virtual venue) would be negatively related to recruitment productivity. Between December 2009 and February 2013, we used RDS to recruit a sample of 450 YMSM, ages 16-20. Findings suggest that the use of RDS for sampling among YMSM is challenging and may not be feasible based on the slow pace of recruitment and low recruitment productivity. A large number of seeds (38 % of the sample, n=172) had to be added to the sample to maintain a reasonable pace of recruitment, which makes use of the sample for RDS-based population estimates questionable. In addition, the prevalence of short recruitment chains and segmentation in patterns of recruitment by race/ethnicity further hamper the network recruitment process. Thus, RDS was not particularly efficient in terms of the rate of recruitment or effective in generating a representative sample. Hypotheses regarding factors associated with recruitment success were supported for network size and internalized stigma (but not other factors), suggesting that participants with larger network sizes or high levels of internalized stigma may have more and less success recruiting others, respectively. KEYWORDS Respondent-driven sampling, Young men who have sex with men, HIV/AIDS Kuhns, Kwon, and Garofalo are with

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Respondent-Driven Sampling in a Study of Urban Young Men Who Have Sex with Men

et al. 2014

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“…The ability to adapt in place would be a function of genetic variation, population size, fecundity and gene flow between populations. Plasticity is an assessment of the species' resilience and environmental buffering capacity (Johnston et al 2010). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The vulnerability of native rangeland plant species to global climate change in the West Asia and North African regions

Belgacem

Louhaichi²

2013

Climatic Change

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This study aimed to evaluate the impact of climate change on the geographical distribution of selected native species from two areas from West Asia and North Africa. Three species representing two genera were selected for assessment of their vulnerability to climate change. The first species was Salsola vermiculata L. which is common to both study areas. The second genus was represented by two species, Haloxylon salicornicum (Moq.) Bunge from the Syrian rangelands and H. schmittianum Pomel from southern Tunisia. To assess the vulnerability of these species to climate change we used ecological-based models. The data inputs were composed of the species occurrence data and the environmental data which included eight climatic layers, three soil property layers in addition to an altitude layer. Since environmental parameters only enable assessing the sensitivity of target species to climate change, a grazing pressure layer was used to assess the species vulnerability. Only climatic parameters were considered as changing across three periods; current situation, 2020 and 2050. The main results indicated that threatened range species, such as S. vermiculata which were subjected to continuous grazing pressure, showed high vulnerability to climate change as expressed by the predicted decrease in the areas of their distribution. However, species with low palatability and broad ecological niches (i.e. H. salicornicum and H. schmittianum) had an advantage due to the reduced competition for water and nutrients. An adaptation strategy to increase the resilience of the most vulnerable species should involve management of grazing pressure and the establishment of other mitigation measures.

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“…Formative research was used to adapt the RDS strategy for methamphetamine smokers living in a township community (Johnston et al, 2010). We assessed feasibility by evaluating characteristics of the social network (size, sociometric depth and composition); acceptability of proposed incentives; and survey logistics such as study office location, hours of operation, and duration for the study visit.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Respondent driven sampling is an effective method for engaging methamphetamine users in HIV prevention research in South Africa

Kimani

Watt

Merli

et al. 2014

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

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Background South Africa, in the midst of the world’s largest HIV epidemic, has a growing methamphetamine problem. Respondent driven sampling (RDS) is a useful tool for recruiting hard-to-reach populations in HIV prevention research, but its use with methamphetamine smokers in South Africa has not been described. This study examined the effectiveness of RDS as a method for engaging methamphetamine users in a Cape Town township into HIV behavioral research. Methods Standard RDS procedures were used to recruit active methamphetamine smokers from a racially diverse peri-urban township in Cape Town. Effectiveness of RDS was determined by examining social network characteristics (network size, homophily, and equilibrium) of recruited participants. Results Beginning with 8 seeds, 345 methamphetamine users were enrolled over 6 months, with a coupon return rate of 67%. The sample included 197 men and 148 women who were racially diverse (73% Coloured, 27% Black African) and had a mean age of 28.8 years (SD=7.2). Social networks were adequate (mean network size >5) and mainly comprised of close social ties. Equilibrium on race was reached after 11 waves of recruitment, and after ≤3 waves for all other variables of interest. There was little to moderate preference for either in- or out-group recruiting in all subgroups. Conclusions Results suggest that RDS is an effective method for engaging methamphetamine users into HIV prevention research in South Africa. Additionally, RDS may be a useful strategy for seeking high-risk methamphetamine users for HIV testing and linkage to HIV care in this and other low resource settings.

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Formative research to optimize respondent-driven sampling surveys among hard-to-reach populations in HIV behavioral and biological surveillance: lessons learned from four case studies

Cited by 94 publications

References 11 publications

Evaluation of Respondent-Driven Sampling in a Study of Urban Young Men Who Have Sex with Men

Evaluation of Respondent-Driven Sampling in a Study of Urban Young Men Who Have Sex with Men

The vulnerability of native rangeland plant species to global climate change in the West Asia and North African regions

Respondent driven sampling is an effective method for engaging methamphetamine users in HIV prevention research in South Africa

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