"It's Whack, It's Not Gonna Work": Feasibility of Sociocentric Network Recruitment for Interventions Among Black, Latine, and Caribbean Priority Populations in New York City.

INTRODUCTION

Black, Latine, and Caribbean (BLC) sexual and gender minorities (SGM) face structural HIV inequities. Sociocentric interventions may address these barriers, but it is unclear if respondent-driven sampling (RDS) can recruit existing BLC SGM friendship groups or if sociocentric HIV prevention interventions are feasible.

METHODS

Using an exploratory mixed-methods design (August/2022-January/2024, New York, NY), we recruited participants into a sociocentric RDS group (sRDS) or an individual-level peer referral (PR) group, with qualitative interviews drawn from quantitative participants.

RESULTS

We enrolled 29 participants in sRDS (seeds = 6) and 30 in PR; 18 completed qualitative interviews. Most were Black or Caribbean; half were US-born; over half were living with HIV. PR was viewed as feasible, while sRDS and sociocentric interventions were seen as inappropriate. Participants suggested social media and influencers for recruitment.

DISCUSSION: Sociocentric approaches may be less acceptable to BLC SGM; recruitment should account for intersectional identities and offer fair compensation.