National HIV Behavioral Surveillance - New York City

Funding Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Funding Period: 2008-2011
Principal Investigator: Holly Hagan, Ph.D.
CDUHR Co-Investigator(s): Travis Wendel, J.D.
Project Director: Camila Gelpi-Acosta, M.A.
Other Project Staff: Rosa Colon (Field Site Coordinator)

In 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began a nationwide surveillance system intended to track changes in HIV-related risk behavior over time among three groups at highest risk for HIV: men who have sex with men (MSM), injection drug users (IDUs), and high-risk heterosexuals (HRH). The current project is the NYC component of the new NHBS survey; MSM, IDUs and HRH will be surveyed in one-year phases over the duration of this three-year project. The broad aim of the study is to monitor HIV risk behavior and HIV prevalence for the purpose of guiding local and national HIV prevention efforts. The goals for each phase of the study are to:
1) Synthesize the current state of knowledge describing HIV risk in each group;
2) Identify key stakeholders and key informants who can provide contextual information related to the local population;
3) Formulate scientific questions related to the HIV risk behavior and prevention that should be included among the "local use questions" in the survey;
4) Ensure that the prevention questions included in the national survey are relevant to local prevention activities;
5) Recruit and administer the survey.