The Healthy Young Men's Study: Sampling Methods to Recruit a Random Cohort of Young Men Who Have Sex With Men

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.

KEYWORDS:

• adolescents
• men who have sex with men
• gay
• bisexual
• hard-to-reach populations

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of senior members of the research team, including Robert Paul Appleby, George Ayala, and Jennifer Unger, as well as members of the field research team, including Cesar Arauz-Cuadra, Marianne Burns, Julie Carpineto, Peter Cruz, Katrina Kubicek, Larkin Mackey, Bryce McDavitt, Miles McNeeley, Conor Schaye, Maral Shahanian, and Alex Tapia. The authors would also like to acknowledge the insightful and practical commentary of the members of The Community Advisory Board: Noel Alumit, Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team; Chi-Wai Au, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services; Ivan Daniels III, coordinator of Los Angeles Black Pride; Ray Fernandez, AIDS Project Los Angeles; Trent Jackson, Youth/Trent Jackson Media Group; Dustin Kerrone, Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center; Miguel Martinez, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles; Ariel Prodigy, West Coast Ballroom Scene; Brion Ramses, West Coast Ballroom Scene; Ricki Rosales, City of Los Angeles AIDS Office; Haquami Sharpe, Minority AIDS Project.

This study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health (R01 DA015638-03).