The National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS) system is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to monitor risk behaviors and access to HIV prevention services among three populations at risk for HIV:
- Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, known as the MSM cycle.
- Persons who inject drugs, known as the injection drug use or IDU cycle.
- Heterosexuals at increased risk for HIV infection, known as the HET cycle.
Denver is one of 23 sites across the United States collecting NHBS data. Locally, NHBS is known as REACH (Risk Education Aimed at Community Health). REACH data are used to help guide HIV prevention efforts in the Denver Metro area. NHBS data also provides a behavioral context for trends seen in HIV surveillance throughout the United States.
| MSM Cycles | IDU Cycles | HET Cycles | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Round 1 Total completed surveys Total HIV tests HIV Prevalence |
12/04-02/05 869 Did not test --- |
07/05-02/06 519 Did not test --- |
01/07-10/07 760 759 0.5% |
|
Round 2 Total completed surveys Total HIV tests HIV Prevalence |
08/08-11/08 545 479 15.9% |
08/09-12/09 430 429 4.7% |
08/10-11/10 522 510 1.2% |
|
Round 3 Total completed surveys Total HIV tests HIV Prevalence |
08/11-11/11 547 507 16.2% |
08/10-12/12 516 515 6.0% |
07/13-12/13 499 496 0.8% |
|
Round 4 Total completed surveys Total HIV tests HIV Prevalence |
06/14-11/14 528 496 15.5% |
06/15-12/15 603 603 4.5% |
07/16-12/16 407 407 0.7% |
|
Round 5 Total completed surveys Total HIV tests HIV Prevalence |
07/17-11/17 533 524 12% |
05/18-12/18 595 589 2.4% |
How NHBS is Conducted in Denver
All REACH participants complete a standardized anonymous questionnaire about HIV-related risk behaviors, HIV testing habits, and the use of HIV prevention services. During the MSM cycles, participants are recruited using a venue-based, time-space methodology. During the IDU and HET cycles, participants are recruited using a respondent-driven sampling methodology.
Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) across the NHBS populations
The Public Health Institute at Denver Health also offers testing for the hepatitis C virus to NHBS participants.
Substance Use across the NHBS populations
NHBS provides data on HIV-related risk behaviors, which include substance use. Increased risk for HIV infection can result from impaired judgment that can lead to risky sexual behaviors in addition to the risk associated with the sharing of injection equipment.