Abstract
Secondary distribution of HIV self-testing (HIVST) among individual social networks was an effective approach to expanding HIV testing among men who have sex with men (MSM). However, understanding the factors associated with first-time HIV testing behaviors in the secondary distribution of HIVST programs is limited. Hence, this study aims to identify factors related to first-time testers in the secondary distribution of HIVST. Participants were recruited from five provinces in southern China through Blued, a geo-social gay networking app in China from January 2021 to December 2021. Eligible consented participants (referred to as “seeds”) finished a baseline survey and then applied for up to five HIVST kits. They were encouraged to distribute HIVST kits to other MSM (referred to as “alters”) and alters were encouraged to scan a QR code to return their photographed testing results. All alters were invited to finish an online survey. In total, 229 seeds reached 292 alters, among whom 126 (43.2%) were first-time testers whereas 166 (56.8%) were non-first-time testers. Importantly, our results demonstrated that the first-time HIV testers were more likely to self-report as heterosexual (aOR = 4.88, 95% CI 1.01–23.61), disclose sexual orientation and/or SSB (aOR = 1.73, 95% CI 1.01–2.96), and receive HIVST knowledge from the seeds (aOR = 3.25, 95% CI 1.02–10.34). However, those who had sex with male partners in the last three months were less likely to be first-time testers (aOR = 0.43, 95% CI 0.23–0.82). Practical implications and limitations were also discussed to improve future HIV prevention programs.
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We thank all the participants who participated in this study.
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https://doi.org/10.13039/501100012165 Key Technologies Research and Development Program 2022YFC2304900-4 to WT Dr. Weiming Tang Ph.D. 0000-0002-9026-707X https://doi.org/10.13039/100000060 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases R01AI158826 Dr Joseph D. Tucker.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection were performed by Yi Zhou, Weiming Tang, Yuxin Ni, Ying Lu and Xi He. Dongya Wang analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript. Weiming Tang made revisions. Yi Zhou, Weiming Tang, Dan Wu, Joseph D. Tucker, Jason Ong, Hang Lyu, Yuxin Ni, Ying Lu, Xi He and Shanzi Huang provided feedback on the draft and revision. All authors equally contributed to this response. All authors read and approved the final version.
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The Ethics Committee of Zhuhai CDC approved this study. It was approved by Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University IRB (#2019020[R3]). Informed consent was collected from each participant online.
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Wang, D., Zhou, Y., Wu, D. et al. Factors Associated with the First-time HIV Testing Among Chinese men who have sex with men Who Received HIV Self-tests from Partners or Friends. AIDS Behav 28, 705–712 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-023-04259-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-023-04259-x