Abstract
Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) are disproportionately infected with HIV/AIDS and there are few prevention programs with published efficacy for this population. This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an online, interactive, and highly engaging HIV prevention program called Keep It Up! The intervention was designed to be delivered to diverse YMSM upon receiving an HIV negative text result, with the goal for them to "Keep It Up" and stay negative. In a randomized clinical trial, the intervention was compared to an online didactic HIV knowledge condition. The study sample included 102 sexually active YMSM. Participants reported completing online modules in settings that were private and not distracting. Mixed methods data showed intervention participants felt the program was valuable and acceptable. Compared to the control condition, participants in the intervention arm had a 44 % lower rate of unprotected anal sex acts at the 12-week follow-up (p < 0.05).
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2999-3012 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | AIDS and behavior |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 2013 |
Funding
Acknowledgments We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the community-based organizations that participated in the development of the intervention and the recruitment of participants: Center on Halsted, Howard Brown Health Center, and the Broadway Youth Center. We thank the staff that went above and beyond to create the KIU! intervention and conduct the evaluation: Mike Hinds, Roger Fierro, Steve Garcia, Steve Du Bois, and Arnaldo Vera. We also thank our expert consultants who provided critical feedback on the design and evaluation of KIU!: Drs. Sheana Bull, Jaime Martinez, and Jeffrey Parsons. We acknowledge the help of Steve Garcia in drafting the Spanish version of the abstract. The project described was supported by Award Number R34MH079714 from the National Institute of Mental Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Mental Health or the National Institutes of Health.
Keywords
- HIV prevention
- HIV testing
- MSM
- Online intervention
- Randomized controlled trial
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Infectious Diseases
- Social Psychology
