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- Title
Enhancing routine HIV and STI testing among young men who have sex with men: primary outcomes of the get connected clinical randomized trial (ATN 139).
- Authors
Bauermeister, J.A.; Horvath, K.J.; Lin, W.Y.; Golinkoff, J.M.; Claude, K.F.; Dowshen, N.; Castillo, M.; Sullivan, P.S.; Paul, M.; Hightow-Weidman, L.; Stephenson, R.
- Abstract
Background: Regular HIV and STI testing remain a cornerstone of comprehensive sexual health care. In this study, we examine the efficacy of Get Connected, a WebApp that combines test locators with personalized educational resources, in motivating young men who have sex with men (YMSM) to undergo regular HIV and STI testing. Methods: Participants were randomly placed in one of two conditions. The first condition included the full version of GC (GC-PLUS), which included content tailored to users' psychosocial characteristics (e.g., age, race/ethnicity, relationship status, HIV/STI testing history). The second condition served as our attention-control and only included the testing locator (GC-TLO) for HIV/STI testing services. Participants were recruited from three cities (Houston, Philadelphia, and Atlanta) characterized by high HIV incidence. Assessments were collected at 1, 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-month follow-ups. Results: Both versions of GC were acceptable and efficacious in increasing routine HIV and STI testing over a 12-month period. 40% of the sample reported testing at least twice, with no main effects observed across the two intervention arms (OR = 1.11; 95% CI: 0.69, 1.80), p =.66). Greater intervention effects were observed among YMSM who engaged more frequently with the intervention, with regional differences observed. Conclusions: Our findings underscore the need to cater to the diverse needs of YMSM through multilevel approaches. Broadly, mHealth HIV/STI testing interventions, such as Get Connected, would benefit from matching technologies to the local context to have the greatest impact. Trial Registration: This study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03132415).
- Subjects
PHILADELPHIA (Pa.); HOUSTON (Tex.); ATLANTA (Ga.); DIAGNOSIS of HIV infections; CLINICAL trials; YOUNG men; RELATIONSHIP status; RACE
- Publication
BMC Public Health, 2024, Vol 24, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
1471-2458
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1186/s12889-024-18522-w