Using Peer-Referral Chains with Incentives to Promote HIV Testing and Identify Undiagnosed HIV Infections Among Crack Users in San Salvador. AIDS Behav 2016 Jun;20(6):1236-43
Date
12/22/2015Pubmed ID
26687093Pubmed Central ID
PMC4867260DOI
10.1007/s10461-015-1267-8Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84950291061 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 11 CitationsAbstract
In El Salvador, crack users are at high risk for HIV but they are not targeted by efforts to promote early HIV diagnosis. We evaluated the promise of peer-referral chains with incentives to increase HIV testing and identify undiagnosed HIV infections among networks of crack users in San Salvador. For 14 months, we offered HIV testing in communities with a high prevalence of crack use. For the following 14 months, we promoted chains in which crack users from these communities referred their peers to HIV testing and received a small monetary incentive. We recorded the monthly numbers of HIV testers, and their crack use, sexual risk behaviors and test results. After launching the referral chains, the monthly numbers of HIV testers increased significantly (Z = 6.90, p < .001) and decayed more slowly (Z = 5.93, p < .001), and the total number of crack-using testers increased nearly fourfold. Testers in the peer-referral period reported fewer HIV risk behaviors, but a similar percentage (~5 %) tested HIV positive in both periods. More women than men received an HIV-positive diagnosis throughout the study (χ(2)(1, N = 799) = 4.23, p = .040). Peer-referral chains with incentives can potentially increase HIV testing among networks of crack users while retaining a focus on high-risk individuals.
Author List
Glasman LR, Dickson-Gomez J, Lechuga J, Tarima S, Bodnar G, de Mendoza LRAuthors
Julia Dickson-Gomez PhD Professor in the Institute for Health and Equity department at Medical College of WisconsinLaura R. Glasman PhD Associate Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Sergey S. Tarima PhD Associate Professor in the Institute for Health and Equity department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultCocaine-Related Disorders
Contact Tracing
Crack Cocaine
El Salvador
Female
HIV Infections
Health Services Accessibility
Humans
Male
Mass Screening
Motivation
Peer Group
Prevalence
Residence Characteristics
Risk-Taking
Sexual Behavior
Social Support
