142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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308984
Identifying networks of young men and mapping their social venues for a cluster randomized trial in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 3:09 PM - 3:22 PM

Peter Balvanz, MPH , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Suzanne Maman, PhD , Department of Health Behavior, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC
Thespina Yamanis, PhD , American University, Washington, D.D.
J. Michael Bowling, PhD , Health Behavior and Health Education, UNC- Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Mrema Kilonzo, MS , Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Marta Mulawa, MHS , Department of Health Behavior, UNC Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC
Lusajo Kajula-Maonga, MS , Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
HIV/AIDS disproportionally affects youth in sub-Saharan Africa. Identifying venues to access male social networks, especially in urban settings where HIV prevalence is often highest and men are not being reached, is a challenge. Camps, the U.S. equivalent of a club or support group, were previously identified as potential venues to access men.  In randomized controlled trials with venues as the sampling unit, minimizing contamination across venues is a challenge.

We are conducting an RCT with camps as the sampling unit within four wards of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.  We conducted 489 community informant interviews to identify camps and 619 verification interviews to characterize these camps. Camps were mapped with GIS software. 

A total of 303 camps were verified. Camps had an average of 26 male members and 90% had some female members. Almost all camps (99%) existed over a year, and 87% existed more than 3 years.  Nearly all (91%) are accessible throughout the year and 60% are located on a main road. We used GIS mapped coordinates to group geographically contiguous camps into 93 clusters prior to random selection of 60 study camps. In the event multiple camps from the same cluster were selected for inclusion in the trial, these camps were assigned to the same condition to minimize contamination.

Camps are venues where we can reach stable networks of young men for health promotion activities.  GIS mapping helped identify contiguous camps, which allowed us to minimize contamination during the random selection of camps for this cluster randomized trial.

Learning Areas:

Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe fixed social venues called camps in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Explain how GIS mapping was used to identify clusters of camps to inform the random assignment of camps to condition while minimizing contamination in a cluster-randomized trial.

Keyword(s): Geographic Information Systems (GIS), HIV Risk Behavior

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been principal investigator on numerous social determinants of health studies with minority and youth populations. I am currently researcher on a cluster-randomized trial in Tanzania aimed at reducing HIV risk behaviors and gender-based violence perpetration.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.