Understanding Effects of Web-based Media on Virtual Populations

描述（由申请人提供）：在美国和国外，艾滋病毒感染率在男同性恋者中重新抬头，而男同性恋者的艾滋病毒预防却步履蹒跚。迫切需要进行具有高潜力的研究，通过将艾滋病毒预防引入真正的新方向，使男同性恋者重新参与预防工作。通过我们对使用互联网寻求与男性发生性关系（MISM）的男性的在线艾滋病毒预防研究，我们的初步研究表明MISM是性暴露媒体（SEM）的高消费者，特别是互联网媒介的SEM。然而，很少有关于同性恋扫描电镜的研究。没有人研究过扫描电镜消费、扫描电镜类型（描述无鞍或安全性行为）与艾滋病毒风险行为之间的潜在联系，也没有人评估过使用扫描电镜加强安全性行为的方法。基于性脚本理论，我们的长期目标是研究，开发和测试使用SEM降低MISM中艾滋病毒风险行为的方法。我们确定了3个优先事项：a)研究MISM对SEM的暴露和消耗；b)研究扫描电镜消费与艾滋病毒风险行为之间的假设关系，我们假设扫描电镜类型调节了这种关系；c)进行需求评估，以确定如何更好地利用SEM来促进艾滋病毒预防和维持低风险行为。为了实现这些目标，首先，我们将进行一项定性研究，使用16个同性恋扫描电镜消费者焦点小组来确定正常和有问题的扫描电镜使用，并检查安全性扫描电镜与无背扫描电镜的效果。然后，我们建议将已发表的异性恋SEM影响量表用于测量同性恋SEM，并开发针对本研究的新测量方法。这些测量的心理测量特性将使用120名MISM的重复测量在线测试-重测信度研究进行测试。进行可用性实验室和用户测试，优化跨平台在线交付。最后，我们将在全国范围内对2000年MISM的SEM使用情况进行横断面在线调查，有意对有色MISM、HIV+MISM、与多个合作伙伴进行联合人工智能的MISM和低SEM使用的MISM进行过度抽样。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In both the USA and abroad, HIV incidence is resurgent among MSM, while HIV prevention for MSM has faltered. Research is urgently needed that holds high potential to re-engage MSM in prevention by taking HIV prevention in genuinely new directions. Through our online HIV prevention research on Men who use the Internet to seek Sex with Men (MISM), our preliminary studies show MISM to be high consumers of Sexually Explicit Media (SEM), particularly Internet-mediated SEM. Yet few studies of gay SEM exist. None have examined a potential link between SEM consumption, genre of SEM (depicting bareback or safer sex) and HIV risk behavior, and none appear to have assessed ways of using SEM to reinforce safer sex. Grounded in sexual script theory, our long-term objective is to study, develop and test ways of using SEM to lower HIV risk behavior among MISM. We have identified 3 priorities: a) to study exposure to and consumption of SEM by MISM; b) to investigate an hypothesized relationship between SEM consumption and HIV risk behavior which we hypothesize is moderated by SEM genre; and c) to conduct a needs assessment to identify how SEM could be better used to promote HIV prevention and sustain low risk behavior. To achieve these aims, first we will conduct a qualitative study using 16 focus groups of gay SEM consumers to identify both normal and problematic use of SEM, and to examine the effects of safer sex SEM versus bareback SEM. Then we propose to adapt published scales on the effects of heterosexual SEM to measure gay SEM and to develop new measures specific to this study. The psychometric properties of these measures will be tested using a repeated measures online test-retest reliability study of 120 MISM. Usability laboratory and user testing will be conducted to optimize online delivery across platforms. Finally, we will conduct a cross-sectional online survey of SEM use in 2000 MISM conducted nationally with intentional over-sampling of MISM of Color, HIV+MISM, MISM engaging in UAI with multiple partners, and low SEM-using MISM. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The primary significance to public health lies in its potential to assess what relationship, if any, exists between SEM consumption and HIV risk, and to advance a potential new area of HIV prevention for MISM based on strengthening safer sex depictions in SEM. Significance to science includes the development of several new scales and methods to study Internet SEM among MISM, and data to inform a neglected area of study. Significance to industry includes a needs assessment that can be used to inform the development of future SEM. We believe the first study of the relationship between gay SEM consumption and HIV risk is, by definition, highly innovative. Further, given our team's current research in developing online interventions, we believe we are the right team in a superb environment both to conduct this formative research and to use its findings in future intervention development.