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AIDS and Behavior
Published in: AIDS and Behavior 11/2015

01-11-2015 | Original Paper

Piloting a Social Networks Strategy to Increase HIV Testing and Counseling Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Greater Accra and Ashanti Region, Ghana

Authors: Philippe Girault, Kimberly Green, Nana Fosua Clement, Yussif Ahmed Abdul Rahman, Bashiru Adams, Samuel Wambugu

Published in: AIDS and Behavior | Issue 11/2015

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Abstract

The 2011 Ghana Men’s Study identified a high prevalence of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Accra/Tema (34.4 %) and in Kumasi (13.6 %), whereas the HIV rate among MSM referred through peer educators (PEs) to HIV testing and counseling (HTC) services in these two sites was substantially lower (8.4 %). These findings raised questions about possible limitations of the peer-education strategy to reach high-risk MSM. Therefore, a pilot study was conducted to assess the feasibility of using a social network strategy (SNS) to identify and refer MSM to HTC services. Within 3 months, 166 MSM were reached and referred to HTC services: 62.7 % reported no recent exposure to PEs; 61.5 % were unaware of their recent HIV serostatus; and 32.9 % were newly diagnosed HIV positive. This pilot study suggests that an SNS could be an important strategy to reach MSM and to increase the uptake of HTC.
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Metadata
Title
Piloting a Social Networks Strategy to Increase HIV Testing and Counseling Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Greater Accra and Ashanti Region, Ghana
Authors
Philippe Girault
Kimberly Green
Nana Fosua Clement
Yussif Ahmed Abdul Rahman
Bashiru Adams
Samuel Wambugu
Publication date
01-11-2015
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
AIDS and Behavior / Issue 11/2015
Print ISSN: 1090-7165
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3254
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1069-z

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