(P239) Advancing community engaged research methods: A qualitative study of MSM community experiences within a Chinese HIV stigma study

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

16:00 – 18:00 CST

Primary Presenter(s)

Kumi Smith, PhD (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor
University of Minnesota, Minnesota, United States

Co-Author(s)

Danyang Luo

Research Coordinator
SESH-Global, Guangdong, China (People's Republic)

Co-author(s)

WZ

Wei Zhang

SESH-Global, United States
SM

Siyan Meng

SESH-Global, United States
JT

Joseph D. Tucker

Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Clinical Research Department, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK, United States

Introduction

Community engagement is a key principle to guide HIV prevention work with marginalized communities, including men who have sex with men (MSM). A recent study to measure HIV stigma and homophobia employed local MSM to work as standardized patients (SP) and to conduct unannounced visits with consenting doctors to observe and report on enacted healthcare stigma. This qualitative study reports on the experiences of MSM who took part in this novel opportunity for community engagement between researchers and MSM.

Methods

Interviewees were current SPs employed in the parent study which was carried out in Guangzhou, China. Each SP took part in two rounds of in-depth interviews to describe their experiences both before and after the SP experience. A social-ecological model informed the interviews and data analysis. Participants also took part in a single focus group discussion where group feedback and reflections on the project experience were documented. Audio-recorded and de-identified data were transcribed, and three team members double-coded each interview in Dedoose.

Results

11 SPs took part in study activities, yielding 22 in-depth interviews and one focus group discussion. Three key themes emerged. First, the study experience imparted to SPs a sense of personal empowerment and community connection. Second, SP training and clinic visits provided SPs with new knowledge on STIs and provider-patient communication, prompting conversations about sexual health with peers in their personal lives. Lastly, most SPs reported relatively high satisfaction with the quality of care received by providers.

Discussion

Findings suggest that in a healthcare stigma reduction setting, the SP experience empowered MSM who served as actors and the experience improved their community engagement level. SP project offered a unique and safe space where the participants could discuss a sensitive issue (HIV/ STI) without revealing their actual sexual health history to ease the self-stigma surrounding HIV and STI that persists within the community. Our study also provides insights and suggestions for future HIV/STI intervention design and MSM community engagement research in LMICs setting.