Comparison of strategies to increase HIV testing among African-American gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in Washington, DC

This paper presents results from a study conducted to compare the relative effectiveness of three strategies – alternate venue testing (AVT), the social network strategy (SNS), and partner counseling and referral services (PCRS; standard care) – for reaching and motivating previously undiagnosed, African-American men who have sex with men (AA MSM) to be tested for HIV. Data were collected between June 2008 and February 2010 at a gay-identified, community-based organization (CBO) serving AA MSM in Washington, DC. Men were eligible to participate if they were 18–64 years old, self-identified as black or African-American, were biologically male, and self-reported oral or anal sex with a man in the past six months. Fisher's exact test of independence was used to assess differences in demographics, testing history, HIV status and sexual behaviors across the three strategies. The final sample included 470 men who met all eligibility requirements. There were no statistically significant differences in HIV positi...