CTN 333: Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS: Longitudinal Women’s Needs Assessment (SHAWNA)

Study Approach

Women will be invited to participate in CTN 333 through a variety of community recruitment strategies including peer-led outreach, social media, posters, and referrals through service providers. Study participants are welcome to join and leave the study at any time.

Participants will be invited to baseline and subsequent semi-annual follow-up visits where they will complete an interview questionnaire and be offered HIV monitoring and STI testing. The interview questionnaire will ask about background, housing, income, access to health and social programs, past and current violence and stigma experiences, sexual health and relationships, and current and past sex work and drug use experiences. The interview questionnaire will also ask about overall health and wellness, including physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health, and experiences accessing health care. Each visit will last around one to two hours.

Participants are welcome to refuse to answer any questions they are not comfortable with, and if they want to speak with an interviewer or seek counseling services after being interviewed, they may ask the interviewer for assistance. In addition, the interviewer will ask if participants need help if they think they are having any difficulties.

At their baseline interview, participants will be offered $55 compensation for their participation in the first part of the interview questionnaire and a further $25 if they choose to participate in the second part and undergo HIV monitoring and STI testing. At each subsequent semi-annual visit, participants will be offered $40 for the first part of the interview questionnaire and $25 for the second part. Data collected from the questionnaires will help investigators understand the impact that violence and stigma have on HIV and broader health care, and support the development of trauma- and violence-informed HIV care programs that are focused on the needs of women in British Columbia.

Study Resources

SHAWNA Newsletter: Summer 2023

Infographic: Addressing lack of access to primary care among women living with HIV

Infographic: Addressing barriers to stable housing among women living with HIV