JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The recognition of the role of primary partners in HIV transmission has led to a growth in dyadic focused HIV prevention efforts. While these interventions have potential to improve relational dynamics, and safeguard same-sex male couples against HIV, the ability to accurately assess the efficacy of these interventions rests on the ability to successfully enroll couples.

Objective:

The current analysis uses recruitment and enrollment data from a large sample of same-sex male couples recruited online from the US to explore factors associated with successful dyadic engagement in online HIV prevention research.

Methods:

Data come from a large convenience sample of same-sex male couples in the U.S. who were recruited through social media venues for a web-based, mixed method HIV prevention research study. Analysis examines the demographic factors associated with successful dyadic engagement in research, measured as both members of the dyad meeting eligibility criteria, consenting for the study and completing all study processes.

Results:

Advertisements generated 221,258 impressions, resulting in 4,589 clicks. Of the 4,589 clicks, 3,826 individuals were assessed for eligibility, of which 1,076 individuals (28.4%; 538 couples) met eligibility criteria and were included in the study. Of the remaining 2,740 ineligible participants, 1,293 (33.8%) were unlinked because their partner did not screen for eligibility, 48 (2.0%) had incomplete partner data because at least one partner did not finish the survey, 22 (0.9%) were ineligible due to one partner not meeting the eligibility criteria. A further 492 individuals (12.9%) were fraudulent. The likelihood of being in a matched couple varied significantly by race/ethnicity, region and relationship type.

Conclusions:

The processes used allowed couples to independently progress through the stages necessary to enroll in the research study while limiting opportunities for coercion and resulted in a large sample with relative diversity in demographic characteristics. The results underscore the need for additional considerations when recruiting and enrolling, relative to improving the methods associated with these research processes.