title: A comparison of network-based strategies for screening at-risk Hispanic/Latino adolescents and young adults for undiagnosed asymptomatic HIV infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hispanic/Latino adolescents and young adults are disproportionately impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic; yet little is known about the best strategies to increase HIV testing in this group. Network-based approaches are feasible and acceptable means for screening at-risk adults for HIV infection, but it is unknown whether these approaches are appropriate for at-risk young Hispanics/Latinos. Thus, we compared an alternative venue-based testing (AVT) strategy with a social and sexual network-based interviewing and HIV testing (SSNIT) strategy.
  
  
  METHODS
  All participants were Hispanics/Latinos aged 13-24 years with self-reported HIV risk; they were recruited from 11 cities in the United States and Puerto Rico and completed an audio computer-assisted self-interview and underwent HIV screening.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1,596 participants (94.5% of those approached) were enrolled: 784 (49.1%) through AVT and 812 (50.9%) through SSNIT. HIV infection was identified in three SSNIT (.37%) and four AVT (.51%) participants (p = .7213).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite high levels of HIV risk, a low prevalence of HIV infection was identified with no differences by recruitment strategy. We found overwhelming support for the acceptability and feasibility of AVT and SSNIT for engaging and screening at-risk young Hispanics/Latinos. Further research is needed to better understand how to strategically implement such strategies to improve identification of undiagnosed HIV infection.
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California. Electronic address: boyerc@peds.ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Cherrie B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Boyer
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: Grisel M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Robles-Schrader
authors.affiliation: Westat, Rockville, Maryland.
authors.forename: Su X
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Ecological-Community Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
authors.forename: Robin L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Westat, Rockville, Maryland.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Korelitz
authors.affiliation: Westat, Rockville, Maryland.
authors.forename: Georgine N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Price
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Carmen M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Rivera Torres
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Kate S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Chutuape
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
authors.forename: Stephanie J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Stines
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.
authors.forename: Diane M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Straub
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Ligia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Peralta
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Febo
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hightow-Weidman
authors.affiliation: Westat, Rockville, Maryland.
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gonin
authors.affiliation: Pediatric, Adolescent, and Maternal AIDS Branch (PAMAB), Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Bill G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Kapogiannis
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ellen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000379:methods*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D015995:Prevalence; D011647:Puerto Rico / Q000208:ethnology; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: HIV testing/screening; Hispanic/Latino adolescents and young adults; Network-based HIV screening