“My Friends Would Believe My Word”: Appropriateness and Acceptability of Respondent-Driven Sampling in Recruiting Young Tertiary Student Men Who Have Sex with Men for HIV/STI Research in Nairobi, Kenya

Samuel Waweru Mwaniki, Peter Mwenda Kaberia, Peter Mwangi Mugo and Thesla Palanee-Phillips
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Samuel Waweru Mwaniki: School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
Peter Mwenda Kaberia: School of Mathematics, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi P.O. Box 30197-00100, Kenya
Peter Mwangi Mugo: Wellcome Trust Research Programme—Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi P.O. Box 54840-00200, Kenya
Thesla Palanee-Phillips: Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 12, 1-13

Abstract: (1) Background: We conducted formative research to assess the appropriateness and acceptability of respondent-driven sampling (RDS) in recruiting tertiary student men who have sex with men (TSMSM) into a prospective human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infection (HIV/STI) biobehavioral survey in Nairobi, Kenya. (2) Methods: Between September and October 2020, semi-structured qualitative interviews were held with service providers from organizations that serve MSM (n = 3), and TSMSM (n = 13). Interviews were conducted in English, audio-recorded and transcribed, then thematically analyzed using NVivo version 11. (3) Results: Service providers reflected that RDS was appropriate due to the large though concealed networks of TSMSM. TSMSM perceived RDS to be acceptable based on their large social network sizes and the trust that existed amongst themselves. TSMSM were concerned about participating due to the risk of being outed as MSM and hence emphasized that researchers needed to assure them of their confidentiality and include MSM as part of the study team to encourage participation. (4) Conclusions: RDS was perceived as both an appropriate and acceptable sampling method. Use of RDS should be considered as a strategy for recruiting young, marginalized populations for HIV/STI research.

Keywords: human immune deficiency virus; sexually transmitted infections; men who have sex with men; respondent-driven sampling; sub-Saharan Africa; Kenya (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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