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August 27, 2026Journal of Epidemiology and Global HealthOpen Access

Adapting Research Protocols During War: The ANCHOR (Analysis of Network Composition, Health Outcomes, and Resilience) Study

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Authors

MFMyroslava FilippovychGKGanna KovalenkoBSBritt P Skaathun

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Overview

Cohort study reveals flexible remote adaptations maintained high retention and accelerated recruitment among sexual minority men during war, highlighting pathways for resilient disease research.

Key Points

  • Evaluate implementation challenges and methodological adaptations for conducting longitudinal HIV network research among sexual minority men during active war in Ukraine.
  • Enrolled 1,199 sexual minority men in Kyiv and Lviv (2024–2026) using respondent-driven sampling, with 6- and 12-month follow-ups for individuals testing positive for HIV.
  • Conducted behavioral and social network interviews, HIV rapid testing, viral load assessment, and HIV genetic sequencing.
  • Revised protocols to implement online screening, oral consent, remote interviews, video-assisted HIV self-testing, and flexible biospecimen collection.
  • Identified 87 HIV-positive participants among 1,199 enrolled individuals, completing recruitment in 8 months instead of the anticipated 18 months following protocol adjustments.
  • Achieved an interview follow-up rate of 94% (82/87) at both 6-month and 12-month assessments.
  • Completed longitudinal biospecimen collection in 61/87 (70.1%) participants at 6 months and 45/87 (51.7%) participants at 12 months despite displacement and infrastructural challenges.

Cite This Study

Filippovych et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a8fea1c10c91c1e926223d6https://doi.org/10.1007/s44197-026-00632-w
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