Peer Network Interventions

Peer network interventions are especially useful for male populations underserved by facility-based services, including MSM, adolescents, fishermen, truck drivers, occupational groups, people who inject drugs, and men living with HIV. Peer network interventions use trusted social connections to reduce stigma, share HIV knowledge, support behaviour change, and bring services closer to men's daily lives. Some peer network interventions restructured access to services through peer navigation, gatekeeping, home ART delivery, peer-assisted medication pickup, and digital support. Peer network interventions in the review targeted HIV prevention, testing, linkage to care, ART initiation, adherence, retention, and viral suppression among men in sub-Saharan Africa. The review identified peer-led education, HIVST distribution, peer navigation, adherence support, differentiated ART delivery, digital peer support, gender-transformative programming, and economic empowerment as recurring strategies.