Hidden on the social media”: HIV Education on MSM through Cybereducators in Central America.
Year: 2014
Type: article
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 7219 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.
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W123276594