Stigma Attitudes Toward HIV/AIDS From 2011 Through 2023 in Japan: Retrospective Study in Japan

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Public Health
• Communication Studies

Background:

• HIV/AIDS stigma remains a significant barrier to prevention, management, and care, negatively impacting health behaviors.
• Public surveys in Japan indicate substantial gaps in HIV/AIDS knowledge.
• Social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) offer a novel avenue for studying stigma, yet HIV stigma in Japan has not been extensively analyzed using this method.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine temporal variations in HIV-related stigma over an extended period using X (formerly Twitter) data.
• To investigate the demographic segments associated with HIV stigma expressed on X.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective collection of Japanese tweets related to HIV/AIDS from 2011 to 2023.
• Tweets were categorized into stigma, antistigma, general education, or neutral messages, with stigma types including labels, marks, responsibility, peril, insults, and fear.
• A machine learning model, developed from phase 1 data, was applied to phase 2 data to analyze yearly changes and demographic proportions of HIV stigma.

Main Results:

• Over 2 million HIV/AIDS-related tweets were analyzed, with 28.5% indicating stigma.
• Stigma tweets predominantly conveyed peril, fear, or insults (87.4%).
• The proportion of stigma tweets significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (31.4% in 2020, 33.9% in 2023) compared to 2017 (20.5%). Health care practitioners' tweets were more likely to contain antistigma messages.

Conclusions:

• Social media, specifically X (formerly Twitter), is a valuable tool for understanding HIV stigma dynamics in Japan.
• The nature and extent of HIV stigma evolved, notably increasing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Findings can inform targeted interventions and educational programs to mitigate HIV-related stigma.