Understanding Effects of Web-based Media on Virtual Populations

描述(申请人提供)：在美国和国外，HIV在MSM中的发病率正在回升，而对MSM的HIV预防却步履蹒跚。迫切需要有很高潜力的研究，通过将艾滋病毒预防带到真正新的方向，使男男性行为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)进行的在线艾滋病毒预防研究，我们的初步研究表明，MISM是露骨的性媒体(SEM)的高消费者，特别是互联网中介的SEM。然而，关于同性恋扫描电子显微镜的研究却很少。没有人研究过扫描电子显微镜的消费、扫描电子显微镜的类型(描绘无鞍马或更安全的性行为)和艾滋病毒危险行为之间的潜在联系，也没有人似乎评估过使用扫描电子显微镜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、开发和测试使用扫描电子显微镜来降低MISM中艾滋病毒危险行为的方法。我们确定了三个优先事项：a)研究MISM接触和消费SEM；b)调查SEM消费与HIV危险行为之间的假设关系，我们假设这种关系受到SEM体裁的调节；以及c)进行需求评估，以确定如何更好地利用SEM来促进HIV预防和维持低风险行为。为了达到这些目标，首先，我们将对16个同性恋消费者群体进行定性研究，以确定正常和有问题的使用SEM，并检验更安全的性行为SEM与无背套SEM的效果。然后，我们建议采用已发表的关于异性恋结构的影响的量表来测量同性恋结构，并针对这项研究开发新的测量方法。这些测量的心理测量学特性将使用重复测量在线测试-120 MISM的重测可靠性研究来测试。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对2000年MISM的使用情况进行横断面在线调查，故意过度抽样彩色MISM、HIV+MISM、与多个合作伙伴一起从事UAI的MISM以及低使用SEM的MISM。 公共卫生相关性：对公共健康的主要意义在于它有可能评估扫描电子显微镜的消费和艾滋病毒风险之间存在的关系，并基于加强扫描电子显微镜中更安全的性行为描述，为MISM提出一个潜在的艾滋病毒预防新领域。对科学的意义包括在MISM中开发了几个新的量表和方法来研究互联网扫描电子显微镜，以及为一个被忽视的研究领域提供信息的数据。对工业的意义包括可以用来为未来的扫描电子显微镜的发展提供信息的需求评估。我们相信，第一个关于同性恋消费和艾滋病毒风险之间关系的研究，从定义上讲，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，我们相信我们是在一个极好的环境中进行这项形成性研究并将其结果用于未来干预开发的合适团队。

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.