Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Oct 15, 2020
Date Accepted: Jan 31, 2021
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
The effective recruitment for high-risk MSM in the mobile HIV testing through social networking platforms
ABSTRACT
Background:
Social networking platforms could be the direct path to recruit high-risk men who have sex with men (MSM) and promote the delivery of voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) as mobile HIV testing (MHT). The structured client recruitment and availability of MHT through social networking platforms need to further evaluate its effectiveness.
Objective:
This research aimed to compare the effects of targeting high-risk MSM and HIV case finding between two MHT recruitment and approaches through the website and social networking platforms.
Methods:
Comparative study design and propensity score matching (PSM) was applied. Traditional VCT model, the control group, recruited MSM on a website and provided a walk-in testing station at a gay zone on Friday and Saturday nights. Social networking VCT mode, the experimental group, recruited MSM from social networking platforms applying the reloading into and online discussion function in dating applications (apps) and Facebook, and referrals to social networks by the mobile phone app, and provided a test at a designated time and place during weekdays.
Results:
A total of 857 MSM were recruited over six months; the completion rate was 8.56% (616/7200) in the traditional VCT model and 20.8% (215/1033) in the social networking VCT mode. After PSM, there were 215 MSM in each group with a mean age of 29.97 (SD=7.609). The social networking model was more likely to reach MSM with HIV risk behaviours: those seeking sex through social media, having multiple sexual partners and unprotected anal intercourse, an experience of recreational drug use, and never having or not regularly having an HIV test than the traditional model. HIV positive rates (IRR=3.395, 95% CI=1.089-10.584, p=0.026) and clinic referred rates (IRR=0.028, 95% CI=0.001-0.585, p=0.006) were significantly higher among those in the social networking VCT model than the traditional VCT model.
Conclusions:
Through effective recruitment strategies on social networking platforms, the social networking VCT mode can be smoothly promoted compared to traditional VCT model to target high-risk MSM and promote testing outcomes.
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