JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

HIV infection rates among sexual minority men and transgender individuals, particularly adolescents and young adults, remain elevated in the United States despite continued improvement in HIV public health response. However, there remains a knowledge gap in understanding what barriers this community faces in receiving HIV care and prevention resources. To address this, the Keeping it LITE study was conducted to assess HIV risk factors and barriers to preventive treatment in a large national cohort of young sexual minority men and transgender individuals at high risk of HIV infection.

Objective:

The objective of this formative research manuscript is to evaluate the feasibility of enrolling a large remote cohort, challenges encountered in recruitment, and adjustments made to address these challenges.

Methods:

A large national cohort (n=3444) of young sexual minority men and transgender individuals was recruited. Participants were recruited via advertisements on social media, LGBTQ+ apps, print advertising, and word of mouth.

Results:

The Keeping it LITE study was particularly successful in recruiting participants via social media, and was successful in recruiting a large sample of transgender youth, particularly transgender men and nonbinary individuals. At-home HIV testing was acceptable and even preferred by some participants, though several barriers were encountered and overcome in the implementation of this testing. The study had more limited success in recruiting 13-17-year-old participants due to lower enrollment rates and barriers to advertising on some social media platforms. Implications of these findings for future development of HIV research and intervention protocols among sexual minority and trans youth are discussed.

Conclusions:

The methods utilized in the Keeping it LITE study, particularly recruitment via social media, were found to be feasible and acceptable to participants.