Harnessing the power of text messaging to reduce HIV incidence in adolescent males across the United States

性少数男性青年面临不同的艾滋病毒感染风险。差距甚至更为明显， 非洲裔美国人/黑人和西班牙裔性少数男性青年，分别占新感染艾滋病毒人数的51%和25% 感染，分别。生活在南部各州和农村地区的青年也面临着更高的艾滋病毒风险 采集因此，获得艾滋病毒检测和咨询仍然是预防的一个关键组成部分， 将这些服务有效地扩展到性少数男性青年是一个优先事项。 短信的广泛采用提供了新的机会，让年轻人在社会中”在“哪里， 这是一个在人口结构上不同的群体，并克服了传统干预措施的结构性挑战。此外，委员会认为， 能够随时随地访问敏感内容有助于为青年提供安全空间， 参与内容，这对那些没有“出局”的人来说很重要。同样重要的是，审查表明， 通过短信传递的程序可以影响复杂的行为改变，包括艾滋病毒检测， 性少数青少年男孩。因此，我们有机会利用这种力量，达到这一文本 信息传递提供了一个艾滋病毒预防计划在全国各地的青年人口的多样化。 为此，我们建议测试#GrowingUpGuy（#GUY）对新的艾滋病毒感染的影响， 美国13-20岁的性少数男性青年。#GUY将改编自 研究小组以前在纽约大学开发的基于短信的艾滋病毒预防/健康性行为项目， 性少数青年的国家一级。考虑到美国艾滋病毒感染的流行病学，我们计划 以13-20岁的青年为目标。由于缺乏针对年轻人的无障碍项目， 征聘工作将侧重于18岁及以下的人。样本多样性将是 确保使用招聘目标和复杂的招生策略，我们已经制定和完善了 我们的干预努力，使一半将自我认同为黑人/非洲裔美国人，拉丁美洲人，和/或混合 种族;至少20%将生活在农村地区或南部各州。具体而言，我们的目标是： 具体目标1：最终确定性活跃的GrowingUpGuy（#GUY）干预和方案， 艾滋病毒阴性，顺性别，性少数的男孩和男子高达20岁的美国各地。 具体目标1a.调整以前的干预内容，以创建GrowingUpGuy（#GUY），一个突出的， 艾滋病预防计划。 具体目标1b：最后确定干预方案，包括确认艾滋病毒检测结果。 具体目标2：测试#GUY干预措施对HIV发病率的影响（n= 5，000）。我们的主要 结果指标将包括：1）OraQuick确认的HIV发病率;和自我报告2）PrEP和PEP使用，3） 艾滋病毒感染状况; 4）性传播感染的数量。次要结果包括：1）信息和2）动机 PrEP的吸收;和3）干预对心理健康指标的影响。

Sexual minority male youth face disparate risk for HIV acquisition. Disparities are even starker for African American/Black and Hispanic sexual minority male youth, who account for 51% and 25% of new HIV infections, respectively. Youth living in southern states and in rural settings also face elevated risk for HIV acquisition. As such, access to HIV testing and counseling remains a critical component of prevention, and effectively extending these services to sexual minority male youth is a priority. The wide adoption of text messaging provides novel opportunities to go where youth “are” across socio- demographically different groups, and overcomes structural challenges of traditional interventions. Moreover, being able to access sensitive content when and where one chooses facilitates safe spaces for youth to engage with the content, which is important for those who are not ‘out’. Importantly too, reviews suggest that programs delivered via text messaging can affect complex behavior change, including HIV testing among sexual minority adolescent boys. Thus, we have the opportunity to utilize the power and reach that text messaging affords to deliver an HIV prevention program across the country to a diverse population of youth. To this end, we propose to test the impact of #GrowingUpGuy (#GUY) on new HIV infections among 13-20 year-old sexual minority male youth across the United States. #GUY will be an adaptation of the research team’s previous text messaging-based HIV prevention/healthy sexuality programs developed at the national level for sexual minority youth. Given the epidemiology of HIV infections in the United States, we plan to target youth 13-20 years of age. Because of the lack of accessible programs for younger youth, our recruitment effort will place an emphasis on those 18 years of age and younger. Sample diversity will be ensured using recruitment targets and a complex enrollment strategy that we have developed and refined over our intervention endeavors such that half will self-identify as Black/African American, Latino, and/or of mixed race; and at least 20% will be living in a rural area or southern state. Specifically, we aim to: Specific Aim 1: Finalize the GrowingUpGuy (#GUY) intervention and protocol for sexually active, HIV negative, cisgender, sexual minority boys and men up to 20 years of age across the United States. Specific Aim 1a. Adapt previous intervention content to create GrowingUpGuy (#GUY), a salient, technologically delivered HIV prevention program. Specific Aim 1b: Finalize the intervention protocol, including confirmation of HIV test results. Specific Aim 2: Test the #GUY intervention for impact on HIV incidence (n=5,000). Our main outcome measures will be: 1) OraQuick-confirmed HIV incidence; and self-reported 2) PrEP and PEP use, 3) HIV status, and 4) number of STIs. Secondary outcomes include: 1) information about and 2) motivation for uptake of PrEP; and 3) the impact of the intervention on mental health indicators.