Online Interactive Culturally Tailored HIV Prevention Interventions
Lynn Miller, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Thematic Priority Area: Contextual, Cultural, and Structural Issues in HIV Prevention and Care
Innovative, Developmental, Exploratory Award (IDEA)
2009
This study examines the feasibility and efficacy of delivering an online interactive HIV prevention intervention to young African-American and Latino MSM. This is an online longitudinal experiment. 240 MSM (18-30) blocked by ethnicity/race (African-American, Latino) were randomly assigned into one of two conditions (Interactive Video, Wait List Control). There were three data collection phases. At phase 1, an online baseline survey asking about past sexual history is administered after which participants in an intervention condition will be shown an online safer sex interactive video (IAV). Phase 2 involves filling out an online monthly sexual behavior survey for 6 months. Phase 3 consists of an online follow up survey, at which point the wait list control will receive the same treatment IAV intervention. Changes in behavior (unprotected anal intercourse-UAI) will be assessed as well as the extent and type of the MSM population that is reached by the intervention. The long-term objectives of the proposed research are to create fully responsive virtual gaming environments that reduce unprotected anal sex over time that can be delivered on-line to MSM who would not otherwise seek or have access to them. If Internet based HIV prevention interventions can be shown to be effective at reaching those MSM of color at highest risk and facilitating behavior change through interactive technology, then health disparities could be reduce and the number of lives potentially saved from HIV disease could be great and accomplished at lower cost than through traditional methods.
