Reaching and retaining high-risk HIV/AIDS clients through the Internet

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Health Communication

Background:

• The internet is a common platform for meeting casual partners, yet its potential for HIV prevention remains underutilized.
• Online outreach strategies for voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT) are not widely explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the Student Health Action Coalition's HIV testing program (SHAC-HIV) model.
• To encourage the adoption of the SHAC-HIV model by other nontraditional testing sites.

Main Methods:

• Targeted internet outreach via chat rooms, social networking sites, and online forums to reach high-risk populations.
• Utilized a client-centered model at a nontraditional testing site.
• Employed well-trained health science student volunteers, rapid oral-fluid HIV tests, and universal, consent-based testing.
• Provided health education, counseling, and coordinated referrals for follow-up care.

Main Results:

• The SHAC-HIV program successfully reached high-risk individuals and identified undiagnosed infections.
• Achieved a 2.3% HIV positivity rate (9 positive results out of 389 tests) in 2007.
• This positivity rate exceeded that of other nontraditional testing sites in North Carolina.

Conclusions:

• Nontraditional testing sites, utilizing tailored internet outreach, can deliver effective, low-cost, client-centered HIV testing services.
• The SHAC-HIV model demonstrates a successful approach to increasing HIV testing uptake and identifying infections within high-risk populations.