A student-driven HIV/PrEP communication intervention using a modified social network strategy

Abstract

Objective

The authors examined college students’ experiences of providing peer-education, using the modified Social Network Strategy (SNS).

Participants

Ninety-six college students participated this project during the 2018 academic year, drawn from a large, Mid-Southern urban university.

Methods

Students who administered the HIV-PrEP health intervention completed a cross-sectional assessment about their experiences in the project. A series of open-ended prompts garnered written narrative responses. We utilized a qualitative content analysis to identify SNS codes and their frequencies.

Results

Student responses were overwhelmingly supportive of the community engagement project. Student narratives featured the health communication intervention with peers most often (44.4%: counseling, testing, and referral communication), followed by influences on themselves (28.7%; what he/she learned, influences on student health and choices).

Conclusions

A modified SNS demonstrated in this project reveals its utility in supporting undergraduates in the delivery of HIV/PrEP training in the 7th highest HIV transmission area in the nation.

Keywords:

• Social Network Strategy
• health communication
• HIV
• PrEP
• peer intervention

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by a grant from Villanova University's Waterhouse Family Institute for the Study of Communication and Society (WFI).