Facilitating HIV Testing Among Young Adult MSM Through Social Networking

描述(由申请人提供)：年轻成年人(18-24岁)黑人、西班牙裔和白人男男性行为者(MSM)是美国艾滋病毒感染率最高的人群之一，但艾滋病毒检测率较低。需要采取新的办法来鼓励和便利艾滋病毒检测，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、西班牙裔和白人MSM中的艾滋病毒检测。这一新方法将评估对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使用情况，以及对MSM社交网站的使用情况，以促进艾滋病毒检测和传播。整个研究将基于互联网，涉及招募、登记、跟踪和获得艾滋病毒检测，考虑到年轻成年黑人、西班牙裔和白人MSM对互联网的高度熟悉、使用和舒适性，这是适当的。在第一阶段，我们将对年轻的成年黑人、西班牙裔和白人MSM社交网站用户进行调查，并评估他们对新的快速HIV自我的接受度、促进者/使用障碍、利用、偏好和意见 与传统的“基于家庭的”艾滋病毒检测或基于医疗或社区的艾滋病毒检测相比，这是一种新的检测方法。在第二阶段，我们将超越第一阶段评估的观点，通过随机对照试验直接评估测试的接受度是否更高，启动的时间是否更长。 随机分配使用快速艾滋病毒自我检测的参与者，与那些被分配接受传统的“家庭”艾滋病毒检测或医疗或社区艾滋病毒检测的参与者相比，检测的时间更短。在第三阶段，我们将评估与其他检测方法相比，使用快速艾滋病毒自我检测的经验是否鼓励这些年轻的成年黑人、西班牙裔和白人MSM邀请他们的“在线”或“离线”联系人使用这种新类型的检测。我们还将确定不同种族/民族在以下方面是否存在差异 这些结果，这可能影响测试方法的有效性。这个R21项目具有重要的意义和创新意义，因为它调查了是否可以通过社交媒体招募和一种新的艾滋病毒检测方法，在艾滋病毒检测率达到历史最低水平的高危人群(年轻成年黑人、西班牙裔和白人MSM)中，在全国范围内促进艾滋病毒检测。这项研究的潜在公共卫生影响将是创造一种新的方法，通过基于互联网的、社会网络便利的招募和传播新的艾滋病毒检测技术来改进艾滋病毒检测。R21的结果和吸取的经验教训将用于启动对其他基于互联网的社交网络的更大和更复杂的RO1研究，以促进在MSM和其他人群中进行艾滋病毒检测。

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.