The Healthy Young Men's Study: Sampling Methods to Recruit a Random Cohort of Young Men Who Have Sex With Men |
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Authors: | Wesley L Ford George Weiss Michele D Kipke Anamara Ritt-Olson Ellen Iverson Donna Lopez |
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Institution: | 1. Children's Medical Services, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health , El Monte, California;2. Saban Research Institute and Children's Hospital , Los Angeles, California;3. Children's Hospital and Keck School of Medicine , University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California;4. Children's Hospital , Los Angeles, California |
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Abstract: | Recruiting a scientifically sound cohort of young men who have sex with men (YMSM) is an enduring research challenge. The few cohort studies that have been conducted to date on YMSM have relied on nonprobability sampling methods to construct their cohorts. While these studies have provided valuable information about HIV risk behaviors among YMSM, their generalizability to broader YMSM populations is limited. In this article, the authors describe a venue-based sampling methodology used to recruit a large and diverse cohort of YMSM from public venues in Los Angeles County, California. Venue-based sampling is a multistage probability sampling design that uses standard outreach techniques and standard survey methods to systematically enumerate, sample, and survey hard-to-reach populations. The study design allowed the authors to estimate individual, familial, and interpersonal psychosocial factors associated with HIV risk and health-seeking behaviors for a cohort of YMSM with known properties. Study participants completed an extensive baseline survey and over a 2-year period completed four follow-up surveys at 6-month intervals. The baseline survey was administered in both English and Spanish. |
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Keywords: | adolescents men who have sex with men gay bisexual hard-to-reach populations |
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