title: HIV Testing and Counselling in Colombia: Local Experience on Two Different Recruitment Strategies to Better Reach Low Socioeconomic Status Communities.
abstract: HIV testing rates remain very low in Colombia, with only 20% of individuals at risk ever tested. In order to tackle this issue, the Corporacion de Lucha Contra el Sida (CLS) has implemented a multidisciplinary, provider-initiated, population-based HIV testing/counselling strategy named BAFI. In this report, we describe the experience of CLS at reaching populations from low socioeconomic backgrounds in 2008-2009. Two different approaches were used: one led by CLS and local health care providers (BAFI-1) and the other by CLS and community leaders (BAFI-2). Both approaches included the following: consented HIV screening test, a demographic questionnaire, self-reported HIV knowledge and behaviour questionnaires, pre- and posttest counselling, confirmatory HIV tests, clinical follow-up, access to comprehensive care and antiretroviral treatment. A total of 2085 individuals were enrolled in BAFI-1 and 363 in BAFI-2. The effectiveness indicators for BAFI-1 and BAFI-2, respectively, were HIV positive-confirmed prevalence = 0.29% and 3.86%, return rate for confirmatory results = 62.5% and 93.7%, return rate for comprehensive care = 83.3% and 92.8%, and ART initiation rate = 20% and 76.9%. Although more people were reached with BAFI-1, the community-led BAFI-2 was more effective at reaching individuals with a higher prevalence of behavioural risk factors for HIV infection.
authors.affiliation: Corporación de Lucha Contra el Sida (CLS), Grupo Educación y Salud en VIH/SIDA, Carrera 56 2-120, Cali, Colombia ; The Canada-Colombia Collaboration against HIV/AIDS (CCC-HIV), Carrera 56 2-120, Cali, Colombia.
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Galindo-Quintero
authors.affiliation: Corporación de Lucha Contra el Sida (CLS), Grupo Educación y Salud en VIH/SIDA, Carrera 56 2-120, Cali, Colombia ; The Canada-Colombia Collaboration against HIV/AIDS (CCC-HIV), Carrera 56 2-120, Cali, Colombia.
authors.forename: Hector Fabio
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Mueses-Marin
authors.affiliation: Corporación de Lucha Contra el Sida (CLS), Grupo Educación y Salud en VIH/SIDA, Carrera 56 2-120, Cali, Colombia ; The Canada-Colombia Collaboration against HIV/AIDS (CCC-HIV), Carrera 56 2-120, Cali, Colombia.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Montaño-Agudelo
authors.affiliation: Corporación de Lucha Contra el Sida (CLS), Grupo Educación y Salud en VIH/SIDA, Carrera 56 2-120, Cali, Colombia ; Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad del Cauca, Calle 5 4-70, Popayán, Colombia.
authors.forename: María Virginia
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Pinzón-Fernández
authors.affiliation: Corporación de Lucha Contra el Sida (CLS), Grupo Educación y Salud en VIH/SIDA, Carrera 56 2-120, Cali, Colombia ; The Canada-Colombia Collaboration against HIV/AIDS (CCC-HIV), Carrera 56 2-120, Cali, Colombia.
authors.forename: Inés Constanza
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Tello-Bolívar
authors.affiliation: Corporación de Lucha Contra el Sida (CLS), Grupo Educación y Salud en VIH/SIDA, Carrera 56 2-120, Cali, Colombia ; The Canada-Colombia Collaboration against HIV/AIDS (CCC-HIV), Carrera 56 2-120, Cali, Colombia ; Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen's University, Carruthers Hall, Kingston, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Beatriz Eugenia
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Alvarado-Llano
authors.affiliation: Corporación de Lucha Contra el Sida (CLS), Grupo Educación y Salud en VIH/SIDA, Carrera 56 2-120, Cali, Colombia ; The Canada-Colombia Collaboration against HIV/AIDS (CCC-HIV), Carrera 56 2-120, Cali, Colombia ; Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Etherington Hall, Kingston, ON, Canada K7L 3N6.
authors.forename: Jorge Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Martinez-Cajas