Pilot programme using social network interviews to screen high-risk adolescents and young adults

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• HIV infection remains a significant public health concern, particularly among adolescents.
• Identifying and testing networks of infected individuals is crucial for controlling transmission.
• Routine clinical care offers an opportunity to implement targeted HIV prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a pilot program for identifying and testing social and sexual contacts of HIV-infected youth.
• To assess the feasibility of integrating network-based HIV testing into routine adolescent HIV clinic care.
• To determine the yield of new HIV diagnoses within these networks.

Main Methods:

• 49 HIV-infected adolescents in Baltimore, Maryland, were interviewed about their social and sexual contacts during routine clinic visits.
• A community health worker contacted referred individuals to encourage HIV counseling, testing, and referral (CTR) services.
• Network data included first- and second-generation contacts.

Main Results:

• Over 18 months, 26 index youths provided information on 53 first-generation and 16 second-generation contacts.
• 32 contacts received counseling, and 25 underwent HIV testing.
• Three new HIV-positive individuals were identified through this network approach.

Conclusions:

• Interviewing HIV-infected youth about their contacts is a viable strategy for identifying high-risk individuals.
• Integrating this approach into standard care can enhance HIV case finding and linkage to services.
• Network-based HIV testing can be an effective component of adolescent HIV clinic services.