Are MSM willing to SMS for HIV prevention?

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Digital Health
• HIV Prevention

Background:

• Text messaging offers a potential avenue for HIV prevention interventions, particularly among young men who have sex with men (MSM) and MSM of color.
• Understanding the willingness of MSM to engage with text-based health interventions is crucial for effective program design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the willingness of MSM to receive text messages as part of an HIV prevention intervention.
• To identify demographic factors associated with willingness to participate in text message-based HIV research.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was administered to MSM recruited via MySpace.com.
• The survey collected data on mobile phone ownership and willingness to receive text messages for HIV prevention research.
• Statistical analysis examined correlations between demographics and willingness to participate.

Main Results:

• 85% of participants owned a mobile phone.
• 49% of mobile phone owners were willing to receive text messages for HIV prevention research.
• Black and Hispanic MSM showed higher willingness compared to White non-Hispanic MSM. Younger men (<22 years) and those with a high school education were more willing than older men and college graduates.

Conclusions:

• Willingness to receive text messages for HIV prevention among MSM is moderate.
• Demographic factors, including age and race, significantly influence willingness, mirroring general text messaging usage patterns.
• Intervention designs must consider these variations for successful implementation of text-based HIV prevention strategies.