Effectiveness of HIV health education interventions on the MSM population: a meta-analysis

Men who have sex with men (MSM) face a heightened risk of HIV, presenting a significant public health issue. This meta-analysis evaluates the effectiveness of HIV health education for MSM by examining changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors across different cultures and regions. The study also explores heterogeneity sources through subgroup and sensitivity analyses to guide future research. Searches were conducted in databases including China Knowledge, Wipo, Wanfang, PubMed, and Web of Science, covering studies up to December 1, 2023. Included were controlled pre-post trials on HIV education's impact on MSM. Independent data extraction and analysis were completed by two researchers using RevMan 5.7. Pre-registration was done with PROSPERO. Twenty-seven studies met criteria. Post-intervention, significant improvements were noted in HIV knowledge (OR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.44-0.56), condom use over six months (OR: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.38-0.58), and condom use in recent same-sex encounters (OR: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.29-0.66). Larger samples (>500) or long-term interventions (>1 year) enhanced homogeneity (I² = 0%). In conclusion, these interventions significantly boost knowledge and condom use, identifying sample size and intervention duration as primary heterogeneity influences, guiding future strategy optimization.