The Momentum Health Study is a sexual health study of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Greater Vancouver. Momentum aims to report new estimates of HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the region. The study has been active in Vancouver since 2012 and we relaunched in February 2017 as part of the national Engage study (see video below).

There have been a number of changes to how we have been communicating messages of HIV treatment and prevention in British Columbia. For one, antiretroviral therapy for treatment of HIV has significantly expanded. More people are now on treatment for HIV than ever before and with the development of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Momentum aims to know more about how men are responding to this.

This study will be the first to use Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) to obtain a representative sample of MSM reflective of the ethno-cultural diversity of Greater Vancouver and inclusive of MSM subgroups that may have been overlooked in other sampling strategies. RDS is a form of peer-recruited network sampling, where participants receive study vouchers to give to their friends so they can participate too.

This first study study consisted of two linked projects and operated over five years, from 2011 to 2016. The new study launched in February 2017 and will take on the same format.

We will conduct two surveys over five-years that are designed to provide consistent and representative estimates of HIV risk behaviour, HIV sero-status, antiretroviral therapy (ART) use and viral load among MSM in Greater Vancouver.

Eligible participants in the first survey will also be invited to participate in a cohort study, with follow-up every six months for four years. 

This study is sponsored by operating grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the National Institute of Health.