Title
HIV testing among social media-using Peruvian men who have sex with men: correlates and social context
Date Issued
02 October 2016
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Publisher(s)
Routledge
Abstract
HIV remains concentrated among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Peru, and homophobia and AIDS-related stigmas have kept the epidemic difficult to address. Gay self-identity has been associated with increased HIV testing, though this relationship has not been examined extensively. Social media use has been rapidly increasing in Peru, yet little is known about MSM social media users in Peru. This study sought to investigate the demographic, behavioral, and stigma-related factors associated with HIV testing among social media-using Peruvian MSM. Five hundred and fifty-six MSM from Lima and surrounding areas were recruited from social networking websites to complete a survey on their sexual risk behaviors. We examined the demographic and social correlates of HIV testing behavior among this sample. Younger age and non-gay identity were significantly associated with lower likelihood of getting tested in univariate analysis. After controlling for key behaviors and AIDS-related stigma, younger age remained significantly associated with decreased testing. Participants who engaged in discussions online about HIV testing were more likely to get tested, while AIDS-related stigma presented a significant barrier to testing. Stigma severity also varied significantly by sexual identity. Youth appear to be significantly less likely than older individuals to test for HIV. Among Peruvian MSM, AIDS-related stigma remains a strong predictor of willingness to get tested. Social media-based intervention work targeting Peruvian youth should encourage discussion around HIV testing, and must also address AIDS-related stigma.
Start page
1301
End page
1305
Volume
28
Issue
10
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Ciencias socio biomédicas (planificación familiar, salud sexual, efectos políticos y sociales de la investigación biomédica)
Epidemiología
Salud pública, Salud ambiental
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84965067417
PubMed ID
Source
AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV
ISSN of the container
0954-0121
Sponsor(s)
This work was supported by the National Institute on Aging under [grant number T32AG033533]; the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development under [grant number R24HD041022]; and the National Institute of Mental Health under [grant number MH090884]. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus