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Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Efficacy of an Online HIV Prevention Program for Diverse Young Men who have Sex with Men: The Keep It Up! Intervention

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Abstract

Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) are disproportionately infected with HIV/AIDS and there are few prevention programs with published efficacy for this population. This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an online, interactive, and highly engaging HIV prevention program called Keep It Up! The intervention was designed to be delivered to diverse YMSM upon receiving an HIV negative text result, with the goal for them to “Keep It Up” and stay negative. In a randomized clinical trial, the intervention was compared to an online didactic HIV knowledge condition. The study sample included 102 sexually active YMSM. Participants reported completing online modules in settings that were private and not distracting. Mixed methods data showed intervention participants felt the program was valuable and acceptable. Compared to the control condition, participants in the intervention arm had a 44 % lower rate of unprotected anal sex acts at the 12-week follow-up (p < 0.05).

Resumen

Los hombres jóvenes que tienen relaciones sexuales con hombres (HJSH) están desproporcionadamente infectados con el VIH/SIDA y son pocos los programas de prevención con eficacia publicada para esta población. Este estudio evaluó la viabilidad, aceptabilidad y eficacia preliminar de un programa de prevención del VIH llamado Manténgalo! (Keep It Up! en ingles) que se ofrece por internet y que es interactivo y atrayente. La intervención se diseñó para ser entregada a diversos HJSH al recibir estos un resultado negativo de VIH. El objetivo es que se “mantengan” negativos. En una prueba clínica aleatoria se comparó la intervención con una condición didáctica de conocimiento del VIH ofrecida por internet. La muestra de estudio incluyó 102 HJSH sexualmente activos. Los participantes informaron haber completado módulos por internet en entornos privados y sin distracciones. Los datos obtenidos mediante diferentes métodos muestran que quienes participaron en la intervención sintieron que el programa era valioso y aceptable. Comparado con la condición de control, los participantes en el grupo de intervención presentaron una reducción del 44 % en los actos de sexo anal sin protección en su seguimiento 12 semanas después (p < 0.05).

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Notes

  1. The KIU intervention described here should not be confused with another branded with the same name at the same time, but focused on health screening for young African American men [39].

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the community-based organizations that participated in the development of the intervention and the recruitment of participants: Center on Halsted, Howard Brown Health Center, and the Broadway Youth Center. We thank the staff that went above and beyond to create the KIU! intervention and conduct the evaluation: Mike Hinds, Roger Fierro, Steve Garcia, Steve Du Bois, and Arnaldo Vera. We also thank our expert consultants who provided critical feedback on the design and evaluation of KIU!: Drs. Sheana Bull, Jaime Martinez, and Jeffrey Parsons. We acknowledge the help of Steve Garcia in drafting the Spanish version of the abstract. The project described was supported by Award Number R34MH079714 from the National Institute of Mental Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Mental Health or the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 625 N Michigan Ave, Suite 2700, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Brian Mustanski & Rebecca Andrews

  2. Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Robert Garofalo

  3. University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Colleen Monahan & Beau Gratzer

  4. Howard Brown Health Center, Chicago, IL, USA

    Beau Gratzer

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  1. Brian Mustanski
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  2. Robert Garofalo
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  4. Beau Gratzer
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  5. Rebecca Andrews
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Correspondence to Brian Mustanski.

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Mustanski, B., Garofalo, R., Monahan, C. et al. Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Efficacy of an Online HIV Prevention Program for Diverse Young Men who have Sex with Men: The Keep It Up! Intervention. AIDS Behav 17, 2999–3012 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-013-0507-z

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