title: 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.
abstract: Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) is widely adopted as a method to assess HIV and other sexually transmitted infection prevalence and risk factors among hard-to-reach populations. Failures to properly implement RDS in several settings could potentially have been avoided, had formative research been conducted. However, to date there is no published literature addressing the use of formative research in preparing for RDS studies. This paper uses examples from Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bangkok, Thailand; Podgorica, Montenegro; and St Vincent's and Grenadine Islands, Eastern Caribbean; among populations of men who have sex with men, female sex workers, and injecting drug users to describe how formative research was used to plan, implement, and predict outcomes of RDS surveys and to provide a template of RDS-specific questions for conducting formative research in preparation for RDS surveys. We outline case studies to illustrate how formative research may help researchers to determine whether RDS methodology is appropriate for a particular population and sociocultural context, and to decide on implementation details that lead to successful study outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. lsjohnston.global@gmail.com
authors.forename: Lisa Grazina
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Whitehead
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simic-Lawson
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kendall
mesh_terms: D017691:Caribbean Region / Q000453:epidemiology; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D005061:Europe, Eastern / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D054548:Montenegro / Q000453:epidemiology; D018579:Patient Selection; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012494:Sampling Studies; D011477:Sex Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology