scholarly journals Using Geosocial Networking Apps and HIV Risk Behavior among Men Who Have Sex with Men: Case-Crossover Analysis of Respondents to an Online Survey Delivered via Blued in China (Preprint)

Author(s):  
Justin Knox ◽  
Enoch Chen ◽  
Qinying He ◽  
Guowu Liu ◽  
Jeb Jones ◽  
...  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Knox ◽  
Enoch Chen ◽  
Qinying He ◽  
Guowu Liu ◽  
Jeb Jones ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND HIV disproportionately affects the estimated 21 million men who have sex with men (MSM) who live in China. The HIV epidemic is largely driven by unprotected anal sex (sex not protected by condoms or HIV pre-expsoure prophylaxis). The possible association between unprotected anal sex and the use of a geospatial networking apps has been a subject of scientific debate. OBJECTIVE This study assesses whether users of a gay geospatial networking app in China were more likely to use condoms when they met their partners online versus offline. A case-crossover analysis, with each person serving as his own control, was employed to address the potential bias that men looking for sex partners through an online dating medium might have inherently different (and riskier) patterns of sexual behavior compared to men not using the online dating medium. METHODS A cross-sectional survey was administered in 2018 to adult, male users of Blued (a gay geospatial networking app) in Beijing, Tianjin, Sichuan, and Yunnan China. A case-crossover analysis was conducted among 1,311 MSM not taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) who reported both unprotected and protected anal sex in the past 6 months. Multivariable conditional logistic regression was used to quantify the association of where the partnership was initiated (offline or online) and unprotected anal sex, controlling for other interval-level covariates. Four sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess other potential sources of bias. RESULTS We identified 1311 matched instances where a person reported both an unprotected anal sex act and a protected anal sex acts in the last 6 months. Of the most recent unprotected anal sex acts, 22% (n=292), were initiated offline. Of the most recent protected anal sex acts, 16% (n=214), were initiated offline. In multivariable analyses, initiating a partnership offline was positively associated with unprotected anal sex (OR 2.66, 95% CI 1.84 – 3.85, p<.001), compared to initiating a partnership online. These results were robust to each of the different sensitivity analyses we conducted. CONCLUSIONS Among Blued users in these four Chinese cities, men were less likely to have unprotected anal sex in partnerships that they initiated online compared to partnerships that they initiated offline. The relationship was strong, with over 2.5 times the likelihood of engaging in unprotected anal sex in partnerships initiated offline compared to those initiated online. These findings suggest that geospatial networking apps are a proxy for, and not a cause of, high risk behaviors for HIV infection, and that these platforms should be viewed as a useful venue to identify individuals at risk for HIV transmission to allow for targeted service provision. CLINICALTRIAL


2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 309-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed W. Noor ◽  
Barry D. Adam ◽  
David J. Brennan ◽  
David A. Moskowitz ◽  
Sandra Gardner ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 511-533
Author(s):  
Kenneth C. Hergenrather ◽  
Diona Emmanuel ◽  
Robert J. Zeglin ◽  
David J. Ruda ◽  
Scott D. Rhodes

In the United States, gay, bisexual men, and men who have sex with men (MSM) represent 86% of new HIV infections among males. Approximately 1 in 7 men with HIV are unaware of their HIV status (CDC, 2017, 2019a, 2020a). To explore influences on MSM HIV risk behavior, the authors performed a systematic review of quantitative studies conducted in the U.S. assessing what is purported as masculinity. From 30 identified studies, significant findings were framed within the Social Ecological Model (SEM) levels (e.g., Individual, Relationship, Community). SEM level themes were applied to create the Masculinity 10, a preliminary 10-item assessment to explore the influence of masculinity on MSM HIV risk behavior. To increase MSM engagement in HIV prevention and treatment, the influences of masculinity (e.g., attitude toward sexual minorities, appearance, emotion, temperament, substance use, sexual activity, social support, intimate relationships, health care) on HIV risk behavior should be further explored.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S63-S64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Hoenigl ◽  
Susan J Little ◽  
Jamila K Stockman ◽  
Britt Skaathun ◽  
David Grelotti ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Technology has changed the way men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) seek sex; ≥60% of MSM in the United States use the internet to find sex partners, primarily via Grindr™ which is the most used dating app among MSM. Studies to date have mostly evaluated Grindr™ use as a dichotomous variable and found inconsistent results regarding associations with increased HIV risk behavior. Importantly, Grindr™ “on-screen” activity is monitored by phones and can provide an objective measure of app usage. Here we aimed to assess Grindr™ “on-screen” activity in MSM undergoing community-based HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening in San Diego, and to correlate activity with sexual risk behavior and substance use. Methods This nested cohort study was conducted between December 2018 and April 2019 and leveraged our “Good to Go” (AI106039) screening program for participant recruitment. During their testing encounter participants not on HIV PrEP were provided with surveys on demographics, substance use and risk behavior during previous 3 months, and Grindr™ usage. Participants with iPhones were instructed on how to assess Grindr™ on-screen activity (i.e., time on-screen during last 7 days) on their phones (Figure 1). Risk behavior was classified using the validated San Diego Early Test (SDET) Score (Figure 2). Results Overall 378/784 (48%) MSM participants indicated that they had opened Grindr™ during the previous 7 days. Grindr™ users had higher SDET scores than those not using Grindr™ (median SDET 2, IQR 0–5; mean 2.29) while there was no difference in proportion of substance users (alcohol and marijuana excluded, 21% vs. 17%; P = 0.14). Of 231 MSM who indicated recent Grindr™ use (61%) had iPhones; median on-screen activity during the previous 7 days was 144 minutes (range 1–2,640 minutes). Participants with high Grindr™ utilization (>80th percentile of time on screen corresponding to >480 minutes), had significantly higher SDET scores (median 5 vs. 2; mean 4.02 vs. 3.26; P < 0.001) and a tendency toward a higher proportion of substance users (29% vs. 20%) than those with lower Grindr™ utilization. Conclusion This study introduces Grindr™ on-screen activity as an objective measure that can help identify MSM at high risk for HIV. Disclosures All Authors: No reported Disclosures.


2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 2029-2043 ◽  
Author(s):  
José E. Diaz ◽  
Eric W. Schrimshaw ◽  
Hong-Van Tieu ◽  
Vijay Nandi ◽  
Beryl A. Koblin ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document