Games and Social Networking Could Help Stop HIV in At-Risk Gay Guys


Photo: Jonathan Kitchen/Getty Images

Even after the top from the United states

AIDS

crisis,

HIV

is still a problem among gay men, who happen to be clinically determined to have the disease at a consistent level “more than 40 occasions that women and most 44 instances that other males,” as a
previous paper
inside

Log of Hospital Internet Analysis

explains. The paper, a survey of numerous tech-driven how to lower the price of

HIV

contained in this at-risk populace, things toward the new generation of (hopefully) efficient


interventions.

You will find some fascinating possibilities in the pipeline, as the learn’s
news release explains
:


One entertaining site, Sexpulse, designed by health care professionals and computer experts to a target guys which look for intimate associates online, successfully reduced high-risk intimate behaviors. Another site, Continue The Good Work! (

KIU

), utilized game titles in lowering prices of unprotected anal intercourse. A third effort, an online game, helped mitigate embarrassment felt by some young men that have sex with guys, though the lowering of high-risk intimate conduct was not mathematically


significant.

The challenge let me reveal significantly less about

exactly what

message to deliver, considering the fact that the fundamentals of just how

HIV

and

AIDS

work have now been fairly well-publicized at this stage, than simple tips to deliver it, since merely outlining that a conduct is actually hazardous is sometimes maybe not enough to evolve


it.

It is critical to highlight that doesn’t simply apply at homosexual men; men and women engage in all kinds of dangerous behaviors, from drug abuse to overeating to cigarette smoking to using inactive lifestyles, despite being told they can be hazardous. For this reason issue of getting men and women to generate better decisions is a massive area of worry for public-health researchers — making a highly effective behavior intervention can be a very difficult move to make. (we are going to be uploading a longer, much more in-depth post about subject matter


quickly.)

Several of the most beneficial approaches logically target internet sites â€” peer stress has a tendency to influence united states with techniques various other is attractive often do not. This is borne out in the


analysis:


On social media sites instance Facebook and Twitter, preferred individuals can spread

HIV

-prevention communications with their buddies and fans. The posting of info about

HIV

testing join the dating app via this source on a social network appeared to increase needs for

HIV

testing systems, one learn discovered. Another study unearthed that making use of view frontrunners to share

HIV

-prevention info via internet sites may boost evaluating rates and bolster condom utilize during rectal intercourse with lovers located


using the internet.


It’s an extremely odd quirk of human being thinking that presentation the same kind of details in a slightly different method can result in definitely better results. Thank goodness, specialists are beginning to take advantage of


this.