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- Title
"HIDDEN ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA": HIV EDUCATION ON MSM THROUGH CYBER-EDUCATORS IN CENTRAL AMERICA.
- Authors
Rivas, Jorge; Wheeler, Jennifer; Rodas, Marcos; Lungo, Susana
- Abstract
Most countries in Central America have HIV epidemics concentrated among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TW), with prevalence in these populations ranging from 8% in Nicaragua to 26% in El Salvador. High levels of stigma and discrimination coupled with this heavy HIV burden create a major challenge for efforts to reach these populations and combat the epidemic. The Pan-American Social Marketing Organization (PASMO) developed a combination prevention intervention in Central America that delivers HIV prevention behaviour change communication (BCC) messages, products, services, and referrals to promote improved condom and condom-compatible lubricant use, HIV testing, violence reporting and the use of complementary services. As part of this program, an online ?cyber-educator? intervention for MSM, consisting of virtual one-on-one BCC and HIV counseling and testing referrals, was launched through existing chat-rooms and websites. Participants were tracked using a confidential unique identifier code (UIC). In 2013, 7,219 MSM UICs were recorded. Created as a response to social media evolution, this intervention successfully illustrates how innovative HIV prevention education can reach populations most-at-risk for HIV.
- Subjects
UNITED States; SOCIAL media; HIV; CYBER computers; MEN who have sex with men
- Publication
Digital Culture & Education, 2014, Vol 6, Issue 3, p197
- ISSN
1836-8301
- Publication type
Article