Participants

Eight focus groups were conducted between December 2000 and February 2001 in New York State. An initial pilot focus group was conducted with five participants in Atlanta, GA, and the remaining focus groups took place in central Manhattan, Harlem, Brooklyn, Albany, Rochester, and Buffalo. Participants (n=81) were recruited through a collaboration between the New York City Department of Health Preventive Medicine Residency Program, the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, and the New York State Black Gay Network (NYSBGN). The NYS-BGN is a coalition that links community-based organizations (CBO) and service providers in New York State that target BMSM for HIV prevention and other services. The locations for the New York focus groups were selected based on CBO affiliations with the NYSBGN. The Atlanta focus group was recruited through a local BMSM support group called Second Sunday.

Inclusion criteria for this study included: 1) being a man of African descent; 2) being over 18 years of age; 3) English speaking; and 4) identifying as a man who has sex with other men. The lead author worked with the executive directors of CBOs in each city on participant recruitment methods, including: 1) email announcements to CBO clients; 2) verbal announcements during routine meetings of CBO clients; 3) mailed flyer notifications to CBO clients; 4) word of mouth. The executive director of each organization screened prospective participants for inclusion criteria and gave them information regarding the nature of the study, compensation, location, and contact information. Interested participants signed up either in person or over the phone, and the executive directors and principal investigator communicated weekly to update the list of study subjects. Each focus group was limited to 12 participants. canada pharmacy mall

Procedure

The focus groups were conducted in private rooms at the CBO of each respective city. Participants were given an IRB-approved information form that explained the study, with contact information of the investigators for future questions. Each session lasted 90-120 minutes, and participants were given refreshments and $25.00 compensation. They were not asked to identify themselves in any way. Two facilitators were present at each focus group and were self-identified BMSM who were familiar with issues in the community. The principal investigator, present as a facilitator for all of the focus groups, was identified as a medical doctor on the information form but not verbally during the discussion unless asked. The focus group discussions consisted of several open-ended questions with optional probes, based on the specific aims of the study (Table 1). Each session was transcribed by an outside agency and reviewed by the principal investigator for accuracy.

Analysis

The principal investigator reviewed each focus group transcription with its corresponding audiotape to ensure accuracy of contents. The first two authors reviewed the content of each focus group transcript separately. Themes emerged regarding the variables influencing healthcare access, communication and utilization behaviors, and the authors met regularly in an iterative process to review the themes agreed upon by the first two authors. Coding, data entry, and associations of the interview transcripts were organized using Atlas TI software, with subsequent analysis performed by the authors. Reliability was achieved through consensus among the authors on relevant themes and codes in the transcripts. online pharmacy no prescription