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Traditional HIV prevention outreach
at gay bars and information in print media are losing their relevance in a
world of social media and online meet-up sites, according to University of
Minnesota (UM) researchers.
Four years ago, the team created a
sexually explicit, interactive website, Sexpulse, to educate men who have sex
with men (MSM) about HIV. Despite protests from social conservatives, the
project continued, and the researchers presented their results at the 19th
International AIDS Conference.
Men who seek other men online have
twice as many sex partners and more unprotected sex than MSM who stick to the
physical world, the team reported. Online meet-up services are available 24/7,
and mobile phone apps can make that service available in any location.
“The challenge in online HIV
prevention is designing something that’s engaging and interesting,” said Simon
Rosser, lead researcher and director of the university’s HIV/STI Intervention
and Prevention Studies Program. “If no one comes to your programs, it’s a
problem.” Less than half of about 2,700 MSM surveyed had ever attended an
offline HIV seminar.
AIDS websites have to compete with
other websites, or MSM audiences will not visit them. The researchers asked
what would help attract them, and a majority of MSM said explicit images.
Locally, the Minnesota AIDS
Project’s “Positive Link” is an online and offline program with monthly
educational and social events. A sense of community has driven its success, and
it may be that a communal element is especially important for people who are
already geographically isolated, said Bill Tiedemann, MAP’s executive director.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
