In April 1999, Los Angeles County Office of AIDS Programs and Policy (OAPP) implemented the Countywide Risk Assessment Survey (CRAS). This established a baseline estimate of high-risk behavior among clients receiving HIV prevention services at County-funded Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in Los Angeles. Face-to-face interview surveys were administered by CBO staff that attended a training provided by OAPP on sampling methodology and survey implementation to 1807 clients receiving services from 103 of 118 programs. CRAS is a large-scale multi-site survey designed to gather information on demographic characteristics, drug and alcohol use, sexual risk behavior, and types of prevention services used. Statistical adjustments and a weighting methodology allowed OAPP to project an estimated total number of persons served through its County-funded prevention programs. Specifically, OAPP used stratified sampling to obtain a representative sample of County-funded HIV/AIDS prevention programs. Programs were placed in one of four sampling strata determined by an average monthly client census. Clients were specifically selected using a systematic sampling design, and smaller programs were oversampled to insure adequate representation. Results include 43 of 51 County-funded agencies participated in the survey (84% response rate). From an expected count of 1,957 interviews, a total 1,807 surveys were returned (92% response rate). The estimated total number of persons receiving HIV prevention services in any given month, after weighting, was 9,433. This sampling methodology was effective in obtaining a representative sample of clients, and can be replicated in other geographic regions planning to implement a large-scale survey.
Learning Objectives: 1. Participants will become familiar with an effective sampling strategy appropriate for implementing large-scale multi-site surveys. 2. Participants will become familiar with the importance of adhering to a methodologically sound sampling scheme appropriate for a large-scale multi-site study. 3. Participants will become familiar with the challenges involved in designing and implementing a countywide survey
Keywords: Community Programs, HIV/AIDS
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.