Facilitating HIV Testing Among Young Adult MSM Through Social Networking

描述（由申请人提供）：年轻成人（18-24岁）黑人，西班牙裔和白色男男性行为者（MSM）是美国（US）艾滋病毒感染率最高的人群，但艾滋病毒检测率较低。需要采取鼓励和便利艾滋病毒检测的新办法，以减少艾滋病毒流行病对这一高危人群的影响。 在这项创新的，早期的，发展中的R21研究中，我们将评估一种新的方法，以增加年轻成年黑人，西班牙裔和白色男男性接触者的艾滋病毒检测。这一新方法将评估美国食品和药物管理局最近批准的一种新的快速艾滋病毒自我检测的接受和利用情况，以及使用MSM社交网站促进艾滋病毒检测和传播的情况。 整个研究将基于互联网，包括招募、入组、随访和获得HIV检测，考虑到年轻成年黑人、西班牙裔和白色MSM对互联网的高度熟悉、使用和舒适度，这是适当的。在第一阶段，我们将调查一个大样本的年轻成年黑人，西班牙裔，和白色男男性接触者社交网站的用户，并评估他们的接受，促进者/障碍，使用，利用，偏好，和意见，关于一个新的快速艾滋病毒自我 与传统的“以家庭为基础”的艾滋病毒检测或以医疗或社区为基础的艾滋病毒检测相比，在第二阶段，我们将超越第一阶段评估的观点，直接通过随机对照试验进行评估， 与那些被指定接受传统的“家庭”艾滋病毒检测或医疗或社区艾滋病毒检测的人相比，被随机分配使用快速艾滋病毒自我检测的参与者的检测时间更短。在第三阶段，我们将评估使用快速艾滋病毒自我测试的经验，与其他测试方法相比，是否鼓励这些年轻的成年黑人，西班牙裔和白色男男性接触者邀请他们的“在线”或“离线”接触者使用这种新型的测试。我们还将确定种族/民族群体之间在以下方面是否存在差异 这些结果可能会影响测试方法的有效性。 这个R21项目是非常重要和创新的，因为它调查了艾滋病毒检测是否可以在全国范围内通过社交媒体招募和艾滋病毒检测的新方法在艾滋病毒检测率历史上较低的高风险人群（年轻的成年黑人，西班牙裔和白色男男性行为者）中促进艾滋病毒检测。这项研究的潜在公共卫生影响将是通过基于互联网的社交网络促进新的艾滋病毒检测技术的招募和传播，创造一种改进艾滋病毒检测的新方法。这一R21的结果和吸取的经验教训将用于启动一个更大和更复杂的其他基于互联网的社交网络的RO 1研究，以促进艾滋病毒检测男男性行为者和其他人群。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Young adult (18-24-year-old) Black, Hispanic, and white men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) have among the highest incidences of HIV infection in the United States (US), yet have low HIV testing rates. New approaches to encourage and facilitate HIV testing are needed to reduce the impact of the HIV epidemic among this at-risk population. In this innovative, early-stage, developmental R21 study, we will evaluate a new approach to increase HIV testing among young adult Black, Hispanic, and white MSM. This new approach will evaluate acceptance and utilization of a new rapid HIV self-test that was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, and as well as usage of a MSM social-networking website to facilitate HIV testing and dissemination. The entire study will be internet-based, in regards to recruitment, enrollment, follow-up, and acquisition of HIV tests, which is appropriate given the high level of familiarity, use, and comfort with the internet among young adult Black, Hispanic, and white MSM. In Stage I, we will survey a large sample of young adult Black, Hispanic, and white MSM social-networking website users and assess their acceptance, facilitators/barriers to use, utilization, preferences, and opinions regarding a new rapid HIV self test, as compared to conventional "home-based" HIV testing or medical or community-based HIV testing. In Stage II, we will go beyond the perspectives evaluated in Stage I and directly evaluate through a randomized, controlled trial if testing uptake is greater and time to initiation of testing is shorter for participants randomly assigned to use the rapid HIV self-test, as compared to those assigned to undergo conventional "home-based" HIV testing or medical or community-based HIV testing. In Stage III, we will assess if the experience with using the rapid HIV self-test, as compared to the other testing approaches, encourages these young adult Black, Hispanic, and white MSM to invite their "online" or "offline" contacts to use this new type of test. We will also determine if there are differences across the racial/ethnic groups in regards to these outcomes, which might impact the effectiveness of testing approaches. This R21 project is highly significant and innovative because it investigates if HIV testing can be facilitaed on a national scale among a higher risk population with historically low HIV testing rates (young adult Black, Hispanic, and white MSM) through social media recruitment and a new method of HIV testing. The potential public health impact of this study would be in the creation of a new approach to improving HIV testing through an internet-based, social-network-facilitated recruitment and dissemination of new HIV testing technologies. The results of this R21 and lessons learned will be used to initiate a larger and more sophisticated RO1 study of other internet-based social networks to facilitate HIV testing among MSM and other populations.