Understanding Effects of Web-based Media on Virtual Populations

描述（由申请人提供）：在美国和国外，艾滋病毒的发病率是在男男性接触者中死灰复燃，而男男性接触者的艾滋病毒预防工作已经动摇。迫切需要开展研究，以真正的新方向进行艾滋病毒预防，从而有很大的潜力使男男性接触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的男性（MISM）的在线艾滋病毒预防研究，我们的初步研究表明，MISM是性显性媒体（SEM）的高消费者，特别是互联网介导的SEM。然而，很少有关于同性恋SEM的研究存在。没有人研究过SEM消费，SEM类型（描述无鞍或更安全的性行为）和艾滋病毒风险行为之间的潜在联系，似乎没有人评估过使用SEM来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来降低MISM中艾滋病毒风险行为的方法。我们已经确定了3个优先事项：a）研究MISM对SEM的暴露和消费; B）调查SEM消费和HIV风险行为之间的假设关系，我们假设SEM类型会调节这种关系;以及c）进行需求评估，以确定如何更好地使用SEM来促进HIV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个焦点小组的同性恋SEM消费者，以确定正常和有问题的使用SEM，并检查安全性行为SEM与无鞍SEM的影响。然后，我们建议，以适应异性恋SEM测量同性恋SEM的影响公布的规模，并制定新的措施，具体到这项研究。将使用120个MISM的重复测量在线重测信度研究来测试这些测量的心理测量特性。将进行可用性实验室和用户测试，以优化跨平台的在线交付。最后，我们将在全国范围内进行一项关于2000年MISM中SEM使用情况的横断面在线调查，故意对MISM的颜色，HIV+MISM，MISM与多个合作伙伴进行UAI，以及低SEM使用MISM进行过抽样。 公共卫生相关性：对公共卫生的主要意义在于它有可能评估SEM消费和HIV风险之间存在什么关系，如果有的话，并在加强SEM中的安全性行为的基础上，推进MISM的HIV预防的潜在新领域。对科学的意义包括开发几种新的尺度和方法来研究MISM中的互联网SEM，以及为被忽视的研究领域提供信息的数据。对行业的意义包括需求评估，可用于为未来SEM的发展提供信息。我们认为，根据定义，第一项关于同性恋SEM消费与艾滋病毒风险之间关系的研究是高度创新的。此外，鉴于我们团队目前在开发在线干预方面的研究，我们相信我们是一个极好的环境中进行这种形成性研究并将其研究结果用于未来干预开发的正确团队。

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.