title: Qualitative assessment of venues for purposive sampling of hard-to-reach youth: an illustration in a Latino community.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Latino youth suffer disproportionately from unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), but studies of the social context of their sexual behaviors are lacking.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our qualitative assessment of recruitment venues in a Latino neighborhood had 3 objectives: to identify venues where youth at risk of unintended pregnancy and STIs could be found; to describe different youth "crowds"; and to investigate how and where youth meet their sex partners.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted ethnographic interviews with 62 youth recruited primarily from street sites. Mapping of venues was conducted with Map-Info.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Youth crowds included the Regulars, gang-related crowds, street-economy affiliated crowds, and female crowds. Maps demonstrated the dominance of the venues in the Mission by gang members. Street sites are important venues for meeting sexual partners.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The qualitative assessment produced insights and hypotheses that can contribute to the planning of research, outreach, testing, and interventions with Latino youth.
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, USA.
authors.forename: Colette L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Auerswald
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Greene
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Minnis
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Doherty
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ellen
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Padian
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012495:San Francisco / Q000453:epidemiology; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000635:transmission*; D012944:Social Support