Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, 3502 Watt Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
Chicago Center for HIV Elimination, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jun 4;18(11):6051. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18116051.
Peer leader interventions are effective strategies for promoting prevention behaviors in communities at risk for HIV, yet little is known about their effects on the social and behavioral dynamics of peer leaders themselves. Using data from PrEP Chicago, an RCT PrEP for prevention intervention for young Black MSM (YBMSM), we apply stochastic actor-based models to longitudinally model the impact of study participation on the online friendship and PrEP adoption dynamics among a network of peer leaders ( = 174) and a network of control group counterparts ( = 166). Peer leaders assigned to the same leadership training workshop were more likely to form new Facebook friendships with one another, whereas control participants assigned to the same attention control workshop were no more or less likely to form new friendships. Further, peer leaders with greater PrEP intentions and those living with HIV were more active in forming new friendships with other peer leaders, effects not found in the control network. PrEP adoption was not influenced by network dynamics in either group. The implications of these findings are discussed through the lens of community-capacity building and the role that peer leader interventions and the networks they engage can impact public health.
同伴领导干预措施是在有感染艾滋病毒风险的社区中促进预防行为的有效策略，但对于这些干预措施对同伴领导自身的社会和行为动态的影响知之甚少。利用来自 PrEP Chicago 的数据，一项针对年轻黑人男男性行为者 (YBMSM) 的预防干预措施的 RCT PrEP，我们应用随机主体模型对同伴领导网络（= 174）和对照组同伴网络（= 166）中研究参与对在线友谊和 PrEP 采用动态的影响进行纵向建模。被分配到同一领导力培训研讨会的同伴领导更有可能彼此建立新的 Facebook 友谊，而被分配到同一注意力控制研讨会的对照组参与者则不太可能或不太可能建立新的友谊。此外，PrEP 意向更强和感染 HIV 的同伴领导在与其他同伴领导建立新友谊方面更加活跃，而对照组网络中则没有发现这些影响。在两个群体中，PrEP 的采用都不受网络动态的影响。通过社区能力建设的视角以及同伴领导干预措施及其所涉及的网络可以如何影响公共卫生，讨论了这些发现的意义。
