Video gaming and Social Media Could Help Stop HIV in At-Risk Gay Men
Picture: Jonathan Kitchen/Getty Images
Long afterwards the peak associated with United states
HELPS
situation,
HIV
continues to be a problem among gay males, who will be clinically determined to have the disease at a level “more than 40 times regarding ladies and more than 44 times that of some other males,” as a
present report
in the
Log of Healthcare Internet Analysis
explains. The paper, a survey of several tech-driven approaches to lower the price of
HIV
in this at-risk populace, things toward the new generation of (ideally) effective
interventions.
There are lots of fascinating choices in the offing, just like the research’s
press release details
:
One entertaining web site, Sexpulse, designed by health professionals and pc researchers to focus on guys whom find intimate lovers on the web, effectively paid off risky intimate habits. Another site, Stick With It! (
KIU
), made use of video games in lowering prices of unprotected rectal intercourse. A 3rd initiative, an online game, aided mitigate shame felt by some teenagers who have gender with men, although decline in risky sexual conduct wasn’t mathematically
significant.
The task we have found less about
just what
message to produce, considering the fact that the fundamentals of how
HIV
and
HELPS
work were very well-publicized at this point, than how-to deliver it, since simply describing that a behavior is dangerous often is not adequate to switch
it.
It’s important to mention this doesn’t only connect with gay men; folks engage in all sorts of risky habits, from drug abuse to overeating to smoking to presenting inactive lifestyles, despite having been told they truly are hazardous. This is exactly why the question of how to get individuals create better choices is actually a huge part of worry for public-health experts â designing a highly effective conduct input can be a very complicated course of action. (we are going to be publishing a longer, a lot more detailed post about subject matter
eventually.)
A few of the most of good use approaches wisely target social media sites â peer pressure tends to impact you with techniques other is attractive typically dont. It was borne out in the
review:
On social networking sites including Twitter and Twitter, common individuals can spread
HIV
-prevention communications their pals and followers. The sharing of information about
HIV
screening via respected options on a social networking seemed to boost requests for
HIV
screening kits, one learn found. Another research discovered that making use of opinion frontrunners to disseminate
HIV
-prevention info via social support systems may increase assessment prices and bolster condom use during anal intercourse with partners found
online.
Its a very odd quirk of personal thinking that packaging the same old info in a somewhat various means may cause better outcomes. Fortunately, specialists are beginning to capitalize on
this.