Pilot programme using social network interviews to screen high-risk adolescents and young adults.
OBJECTIVE
To describe a pilot programme that consisted of identifying, contacting and providing HIV testing to members of social and sexual networks of HIV-infected youth patients as a part of routine clinical care at an adolescent HIV clinic in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.


METHODS
Forty-nine sexually active HIV-infected adolescent patients were interviewed about their social and sexual contacts at a routine HIV clinic visit. A trained community health worker located these referred social and sexual contacts, and encouraged them to make an appointment for HIV counselling, testing and referral (CTR) services.


RESULTS
During a period of 18 months, 26 index youths provided locating information on 53 first-generation contacts and these 53 contacts provided information on 16 second-generation contacts. A total of 32 contacts received counselling services and 25 were tested for HIV infection, yielding three new HIV-positive individuals.


CONCLUSIONS
As a part of standard care for regular visits of HIV-infected youth patients, interviewing about their social and sexual contacts could be a viable strategy in identifying high-risk youths for HIV infection and subsequent CTR services.
Yamazaki
Michiyo
M
1The Johns Hopkins UniversitySchool of Medicine, Baltimore,Maryland, USA. myamaza1@jhmi.edu
Rogers
Jamie
J
Chung
Shang-En
SE
Ellen
Jonathan
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015142:Baltimore; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003376:Counseling; D030881:Disclosure; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012944:Social Support; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult