Know Your Network: A concurrency reduction intervention

There is now consensus that concurrent partnerships increase transmission of infectious diseases in sparse networks -- like HIV in sexual partnership networks. Empirical research is accumulating that supports the hypothesis that concurrent sexual partnerships are one of the key drivers of the hyper-epidemics of HIV in some populations in Eastern and Southern Africa. The next step is intervention developmnet. This presentation reports on an NIH-funded pilot project of a concurrency reduction intervention. The project employed community based participatory research methods, and was demonstrated to be feasible and acceptable. It is also inexpensive and easily brought to scale. The plans for a community randomized trail will be discussed.