To Tweet or Not to Tweet? Studying the Use of Twitter to Recruit Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men Into a HIV Testing Intervention in Los Angeles—A Case Study

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shivan N. Patel ◽  
Thomas A. Washington
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Black Men ◽  
Sex With Men

scholarly journals Exploring the preferences of a culturally congruent, peer-based HIV prevention intervention for black men who have sex with men

Sexual Health ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek T. Dangerfield II ◽  
Nina T. Harawa ◽  
Charles McWells ◽  
Charles Hilliard ◽  
Ricky N. Bluthenthal
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Black Men ◽  
Treatment Adherence ◽  
Hiv Treatment ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Peer Mentors ◽  
Hiv Prevention Intervention ◽  
Sex With Men

Background HIV testing, treatment initiation and treatment adherence have been emphasised for Black men who have sex with men (BMSM). However, many BMSM do not get tested, obtain HIV treatment or adhere to treatment. It is essential to highlight barriers to HIV testing, treatment adherence and the ideal components for an intervention: peer mentors, socioeconomic resources and participant incentives. Methods: Five focus groups (n = 24) were conducted among HIV-negative and HIV-positive BMSM aged ≥18 years in Los Angeles, California, USA to explore motivations and barriers to testing and treatment and the components of an ideal, culturally competent HIV testing intervention for BMSM. Results: Barriers to HIV testing included fear and stigma associated with discovering a HIV-positive status and drug use. Motivations for testing included experiencing symptoms, beginning new relationships, perceptions of risk and peer mentors. Conclusions: Future HIV prevention and treatment efforts should consider these components to improve health outcomes among BMSM.

scholarly journals Using Facebook as a Platform to Direct Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men to a Video-Based HIV Testing Intervention: A Feasibility Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Alex Washington ◽  
Sheldon Applewhite ◽  
Wendell Glenn
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Black Men ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Hiv Status ◽  
Hiv Knowledge ◽  
Video Intervention ◽  
Intervention Content ◽  
Sex With Men

Objective: A randomized control pilot study was conducted with Black men who have sex with men (BMSM; N = 42) aged 18–30 years to examine the feasibility of implementing a video intervention delivered using Facebook to motivate HIV testing. Methods: At baseline, participants were unaware of their HIV status and had not tested for HIV in the past 6 months, residing in Los Angeles County. The intervention content included topics such as social influence, HIV knowledge, stigma, HIV positive knowledge, and benefits of knowing one’s HIV status. Findings: Logistic regression revealed that those receiving the video intervention were 7 times more likely to have tested for HIV than those in the control group at 6-week follow-up (odds ratio [OR] = 7.00, 95% confidence interval [1.72, 28.33], p = .006). Conclusion: Data suggest that the intervention was feasible for motivating HIV testing.

scholarly journals Suboptimal Recent and Regular HIV Testing Among Black Men Who Have Sex With Men in the United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Liu ◽  
Vincent M. B. Silenzio ◽  
Robertson Nash ◽  
Patrick Luther ◽  
Jose Bauermeister ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Black Men ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sex With Men

scholarly journals Infrequent HIV Testing and Late HIV Diagnosis Are Common Among a Cohort of Black Men Who Have Sex With Men in 6 US Cities

2014 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 438-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon B. Mannheimer ◽  
Lei Wang ◽  
Leo Wilton ◽  
Hong Van Tieu ◽  
Carlos del Rio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Black Men ◽  
Hiv Diagnosis ◽  
Late Hiv Diagnosis ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Us Cities

scholarly journals Black Men Who Have Sex with Men and Lifetime HIV Testing: Characterizing the Reasons and Consequences of Having Never Tested for HIV

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 1098-1102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derrick D. Matthews ◽  
Jordan M. Sang ◽  
Cristian J. Chandler ◽  
Leigh A. Bukowski ◽  
M. Reuel Friedman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Black Men ◽  
Sex With Men

scholarly journals The Role of Social Support in HIV Testing and PrEP Awareness among Young Black Men and Transgender Women Who Have Sex with Men or Transgender Women

2020 ◽  
Vol 97 (5) ◽  
pp. 715-727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corina Lelutiu-Weinberger ◽  
Leo Wilton ◽  
Beryl A. Koblin ◽  
Donald R. Hoover ◽  
Sabina Hirshfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Black Men ◽  
Transgender Women ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Prep Awareness

scholarly journals Using Partially-Observed Facebook Networks to Develop a Peer-Based HIV Prevention Intervention: Case Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditya Subhash Khanna ◽  
Steven Michael Goodreau ◽  
Stuart Michaels ◽  
John Alexis Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Black Men ◽  
Change Agents ◽  
Eigenvector Centrality ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
Peer Network ◽  
Partially Observed ◽  
Sex With Men

BACKGROUND This is a case study from an HIV prevention project among young black men who have sex with men. Individual-level prevention interventions have had limited success among young black men who have sex with men, a population that is disproportionately affected by HIV; peer network–based interventions are a promising alternative. Facebook is an attractive digital platform because it enables broad characterization of social networks. There are, however, several challenges in using Facebook data for peer interventions, including the large size of Facebook networks, difficulty in assessing appropriate methods to identify candidate peer change agents, boundary specification issues, and partial observation of social network data. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore methodological challenges in using social Facebook networks to design peer network–based interventions for HIV prevention and present techniques to overcome these challenges. METHODS Our sample included 298 uConnect study respondents who answered a bio-behavioral survey in person and whose Facebook friend lists were downloaded (2013-2014). The study participants had over 180,000 total Facebook friends who were not involved in the study (nonrespondents). We did not observe friendships between these nonrespondents. Given the large number of nonrespondents whose networks were partially observed, a relational boundary was specified to select nonrespondents who were well connected to the study respondents and who may be more likely to influence the health behaviors of young black men who have sex with men. A stochastic model-based imputation technique, derived from the exponential random graph models, was applied to simulate 100 networks where unobserved friendships between nonrespondents were imputed. To identify peer change agents, the eigenvector centrality and keyplayer positive algorithms were used; both algorithms are suitable for identifying individuals in key network positions for information diffusion. For both algorithms, we assessed the sensitivity of identified peer change agents to the imputation model, the stability of identified peer change agents across the imputed networks, and the effect of the boundary specification on the identification of peer change agents. RESULTS All respondents and 78.9% (183/232) of nonrespondents selected as peer change agents by eigenvector on the imputed networks were also selected as peer change agents on the observed networks. For keyplayer, the agreement was much lower; 42.7% (47/110) and 35.3% (110/312) of respondent and nonrespondent peer change agents, respectively, selected on the imputed networks were also selected on the observed network. Eigenvector also produced a stable set of peer change agents across the 100 imputed networks and was much less sensitive to the specified relational boundary. CONCLUSIONS Although we do not have a gold standard indicating which algorithm produces the most optimal set of peer change agents, the lower sensitivity of eigenvector centrality to key assumptions leads us to conclude that it may be preferable. The methods we employed to address the challenges in using Facebook networks may prove timely, given the rapidly increasing interest in using online social networks to improve population health.

Developing targeted HIV risk predictors for young black men who have sex with men: a two-city comparative study

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-344
Author(s):  
Anthony C Nguyen ◽  
Lindsay E Young ◽  
Matthew R Beymer ◽  
Sze-Chuan Suen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Black Men ◽  
Hiv Risk ◽  
The United States ◽  
Risk Indicator ◽  
Screening Guidelines ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis

HIV burden in the United States is geographically and demographically heterogeneous. While efforts over the last few decades have reduced HIV incidence, young black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) account for a significant portion of new HIV diagnoses compared to any other race and age group. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has allocated funding to help reduce HIV in the YBMSM community; however, their recommended screening/treatment criteria do not emphasize demographic specificity. To better guide more applicable screening guidelines specifically for YBMSM, we examine demographic, behavioral, sexual network, and biological predictors of HIV status among YBMSM in two demographically distinct cities with high HIV burden in the United States: Chicago, IL and Los Angeles, CA. We perform multivariable logistic regressions to identify predictors of HIV in these populations. We found that having a history of syphilis was the only statistically significant predictor across both cities despite inclusion of other characteristics previously shown to be associated with HIV among YBMSM. Syphilis history could be a powerful HIV risk indicator for YBMSM and, therefore, should be integrated into clinical screening practices for critical biomedical prevention options like HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis.

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