title: Piloting a Social Networks Strategy to Increase HIV Testing and Counseling Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Greater Accra and Ashanti Region, Ghana.
abstract: The 2011 Ghana Men's Study identified a high prevalence of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Accra/Tema (34.4 %) and in Kumasi (13.6 %), whereas the HIV rate among MSM referred through peer educators (PEs) to HIV testing and counseling (HTC) services in these two sites was substantially lower (8.4 %). These findings raised questions about possible limitations of the peer-education strategy to reach high-risk MSM. Therefore, a pilot study was conducted to assess the feasibility of using a social network strategy (SNS) to identify and refer MSM to HTC services. Within 3 months, 166 MSM were reached and referred to HTC services: 62.7 % reported no recent exposure to PEs; 61.5 % were unaware of their recent HIV serostatus; and 32.9 % were newly diagnosed HIV positive. This pilot study suggests that an SNS could be an important strategy to reach MSM and to increase the uptake of HTC.
authors.affiliation: FHI 360 Ghana, 148A Giffard Road, PO Box CT 4033, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Girault
authors.affiliation: FHI 360 Ghana, 148A Giffard Road, PO Box CT 4033, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: FHI 360 Ghana, 148A Giffard Road, PO Box CT 4033, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Nana Fosua
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Clement
authors.affiliation: FHI 360 Ghana, 148A Giffard Road, PO Box CT 4033, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Yussif Ahmed Abdul
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.affiliation: FHI 360 Ghana, 148A Giffard Road, PO Box CT 4033, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Bashiru
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.affiliation: FHI 360 Ghana, 148A Giffard Road, PO Box CT 4033, Accra, Ghana. samwambugu@gmail.com.|K-REP Centre, 5th Floor Wood Avenue, Off Argwings Kodhek Road, PO Box 39804-00623, Nairobi, Kenya. samwambugu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wambugu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003376:Counseling; D005869:Ghana; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012309:Risk-Taking; D060756:Social Networking; D012944:Social Support; D014505:Urban Population
keywords: Ghana; HIV; HIV testing and counseling; MSM; Social networks