A student-driven HIV/PrEP communication intervention using a modified social network strategy

Objective: The authors examined college students’ experiences of providing peer-education, using the modified Social Network Strategy (SNS). Participants: Ninety-six college students participated this project during the 2018 academic year, drawn from a large, Mid-Southern urban university. Methods: Students who administered the HIV-PrEP health intervention completed a cross-sectional assessment about their experiences in the project. A series of open-ended prompts garnered written narrative responses. We utilized a qualitative content analysis to identify SNS codes and their frequencies. Results: Student responses were overwhelmingly supportive of the community engagement project. Student narratives featured the health communication intervention with peers most often (44.4%: counseling, testing, and referral communication), followed by influences on themselves (28.7%; what he/she learned, influences on student health and choices). Conclusions: A modified SNS demonstrated in this project reveals its utility in supporting undergraduates in the delivery of HIV/PrEP training in the 7th highest HIV transmission area in the nation