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Patterns of Lifetime and Recent HIV Testing Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in New York City Who Use Grindr

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Abstract

Rates of HIV infection continue to rise for men who have sex with men (MSM), and may be partially due to lack of testing among groups at risk for HIV. Mobile applications have demonstrated promise to identify at-risk MSM, though more research is needed to address testing patterns among this population. We conducted an online survey of 1,351 MSM in the New York City (NYC) area recruited from Grindr and analyzed predictors of lifetime and past-year testing using Pearson's chi-squared statistic, Fisher’s exact tests, and logistic regression. A majority (90 %) of men had been tested within their lifetimes, and most (71 %) had been tested within the prior year. Among those who had never been tested (n = 135), one-third had engaged in unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) in the prior 3 months and nearly one-third identified themselves as HIV-negative rather than unknown. Older age, reporting an HIV-negative (versus unknown) status, and recent UAI were independently associated with lifetime testing. Greater proportions of men who had recently engaged in UAI reported testing within the past year compared with those who had not engaged in UAI. Overall, rates of testing among MSM in this sample exceeded those of the general population, including the general population in NYC. A greater proportion of this sample had never tested compared to a population-based sample of NYC MSM, though a higher percentage had also tested in the past year. This study demonstrated that 1 in 10 NYC men using Grindr and 1 in 5 who were 18–24 years of age had never received an HIV test in their lives. Using the existing infrastructure and popularity of mobile technology such as Grindr to identify and link men to information regarding HIV testing may be a useful strategy for prevention.

Resumen

Las infecciones del VIH siguen aumentando entre hombres que tienen sexo con hombres (HSH). Esto puede ser en parte, por no hacerse las pruebas para detectar a tiempo el VIH entre la gente que esta mas a riesgo de contraer el virus. Existen aplicaciones para móviles que han demostrado la posibilidad para identificar de una manera efectiva a HSH que están en riesgo, pero se necesitan más investigaciones para poder entender mejor los patrones existentes entre esta población. Hicimos una encuesta de 1,351 HSH en la cuidad de Nueva York reclutados por Grindr. En esta encuesta analizamos indicadores para poder entender lo que influye que alguien se haya hecho la prueba para el VIH en algún momento puntual de su vida y/o durante el año pasado usando chi-cuadrado y las pruebas exactas y regresión logística de Fisher. La mayoría (90 %) de los hombres se han hecho la prueba en algún momento a lo largo de su vida y otros (71 %), también durante el año pasado. Entre los que nunca se han hecho la prueba (n = 135), un tercio han tenido sexo anal sin protección (SASP) en los últimos tres meses y casi un tercio se identifican como VIH-negativo en lugar de no saber su estatus. Los mayores de edad, reportando un estatus de VIH-negativo (en lugar de no saber) y haber tenido SASP en los últimos tres meses fueron asociados independientemente con haberse hecho la prueba en algún momento durante su vida. Por su parte, las proporciones mas grandes de hombres que han tenido SASP recientemente reportaron haberse hecho la prueba durante el último año comparados con los que no han tenido SASP. En total, la cantidad de pruebas entre HSH en esta muestra sobrepasa la cantidad de pruebas tomadas entre la población general. Así mismo, una proporción aun mas grande de esta muestra nunca se he habían hecho la prueba, comparada con una muestra de toda la población de HSH en Nueva York, aunque un porcentaje mas grande si se habían hecho la prueba en el año pasado. Esta investigación ha demostrado que 1 de cada 10 hombres de Nueva York usan Grindr y 1 de cada 5 en edades comprendidas entre 18 y 24 años, nunca se habían hecho la prueba para el VIH en su vida. Usando las infraestructuras existentes y la popularidad de las tecnologías móviles como Grindr para identificar a hombres y proporcionarles información sobre la prueba del VIH, podríamos desarrollar así una estrategia eficaz para la prevención del VIH.

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Acknowledgments

Data for this study were gathered in concert with online recruitment efforts to identify and screen potential participants to enroll in one of the following studies: Pillow Talk (R01-MH087714; PI: Parsons), MiChat (R03-DA031607; PI: Weinberger), PrEPARE NYC (R01-MH095565: PI: Golub), and W.I.S.E. (R01-DA029567; PI: Parsons). H. Jonathon Rendina was supported in part by a National Institute of Mental Health Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (F31-MH095622). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The authors would like to give special thanks for the contributions of Chris Hietikko and Joshua Guthals.

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Correspondence to Jeffrey T. Parsons.

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Rendina, H.J., Jimenez, R.H., Grov, C. et al. Patterns of Lifetime and Recent HIV Testing Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in New York City Who Use Grindr . AIDS Behav 18, 41–49 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-013-0573-2

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