Open AccessMeasuring HIV Risk Perception and Behavior: Results from Round 1 of the Cognitive Interviewing Project with young women and men who have sex with men in South Africa
Author(s) -
Jessica Milne,
Hannah Brady,
Thembekile Shato,
Danielle Bohn,
Makhosazana Mdladla,
Nangamso Ngcwayi,
Millicent Atujuna,
Hilton Humphries,
K Rivet Amico
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
aids and behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.994
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1573-3254
pISSN - 1090-7165
DOI - 10.1007/s10461-020-02790-9
Subject(s) - health psychology , public health , perception , interview , psychology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , cognition , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , social psychology , medicine , sociology , psychiatry , family medicine , nursing , neuroscience , anthropology
Self-reported HIV risk perception and behaviors are used in a variety of settings for diverse purposes, such as HIV prevention program planning and screening. Careful consideration of how youth in high HIV prevalence areas interpret these kinds of questions warrants attention. The Cognitive Interviewing Project (CIP) conducted cognitive interviews on common risk survey items with 30 cis-female and 20 MSM youth (18 to 24), who had recent sex with a male partner, in Cape Town and Vulindlela, South Africa. Results identified a number of potential issues including (1) confusing text; (2) mismatches of terms with local usage; (3) confusion with items requiring self-tailoring; (4) presentation concerns limiting selection of full range of answers; and (5) challenges reporting on information dependent on partner (eg., HIV risk, HIV status of partner). Self-report Items used to identify those at elevated risk for HIV should be evaluated with local populations to optimize shared understanding.