Impact of Check It: A Novel Community-Based Chlamydia Screening and Expedited Treatment Program for Young Black Men

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to estimate the impact of the Check It program, a novel community-based chlamydia seek, test, and treat program for young Black men who have sex with women, on test positivity rates for chlamydia in young Black women. Methods:We used a synthetic control model to compare chlamydia test positivity rates in Orleans Parish (intervention site) with other similar parishes (control sites) in Louisiana. We estimated a model that used all other parishes as potential contributors to a synthetic control for Louisiana as well as a sample limited to the 40 parishes in Louisiana with the largest Black populations. Results:The Check It program was associated with a 1.69-percentagepoint decline in chlamydia positivity in the first full year of operation and a 2.44-percentage-point decline in chlamydia positivity in the second full year of operation compared with control sites with the largest Black populations (P = 0.05). Results were similar when the treatment site was compared with all other sites in Louisiana. Conclusions:The Check It program was associated with a significant decline in chlamydia testing positivity rates among women in Orleans Parish compared with control sites. Screening of young Black men who have sex with women can decrease rates in women living in the same community. Future recommendations for chlamydia screening of young men should be considered.C hlamydia trachomatis screening of sexually active women younger than 25 years has been in place since 1995 1 and has resulted in lower chlamydia rates in women 2 and lower rates of pelvic inflammatory disease. 3 Expedited partner treatment is From the

Effectiveness of Incentivized Peer Referral to Increase Enrollment in a Community-Based Chlamydia Screening and Treatment Study Among Young Black Men

“…The Check It study is a novel, bundled, community-based seek, test, and treat Ct screening program for 15- to 26-year-old Black men in New Orleans who have sex with women [ 10 ]. Check It was designed with the purpose of determining if community-based Ct screening of young Black men ages 15–26 in New Orleans could both address barriers to Ct screening and treatment in this group and decrease rates of Ct in young women in New Orleans [ 11 ].…”

Cost-effectiveness of Check It: A Novel Community-Based Chlamydia Screening and Expedited Treatment Program for Young Black Men

“…The program has been evaluated using agent-based modeling and it was found that each man screened prevented approximately 0.062 cases in men and 0.204 cases of chlamydia in women [ 16 ]. A study using Medicaid claims found the program resulted in a 1.69% decline in claims related to chlamydia positivity in the first year of its operation [ 17 ].…”