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Feasibility of Recruiting Peer Educators to Promote HIV Testing Using Facebook Among Men Who have Sex with Men in Peru

AIDS and Behavior volume 19, pages 123–129 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

A peer leader-based intervention using social media can be an effective means to encourage Peruvian gay men to test for HIV. The objective was to explore the feasibility of recruiting and training leaders to deliver a peer intervention via Facebook to promote HIV testing. Training consisted of three sessions focused on HIV epidemiology, consequences of stigma associated with HIV, and ways to use Facebook. We performed pre- and post-training evaluations to assess HIV knowledge and comfort using Facebook. We trained 34 peer leaders. At baseline, the majority of peer leaders were already qualified and knowledgeable about HIV prevention and use of social media. We found a significant increase in proportion of peer leaders who were comfortable using social media to discuss about sexual partners and about STIs. It is feasible to recruit peer leaders who are qualified to conduct a social media based HIV prevention intervention in Peru.

Resumen

Una intervención de líderes pares en una red social puede ser un medio efectivo para promover la prueba del VIH en hombres gays Peruanos. El objetivo fue explorar la factibilidad de reclutar y entrenar a líderes para ejecutar una intervención en Facebook para promover la prueba del VIH. El entrenamiento consistió en tres sesiones: Epidemiología del VIH, consecuencias del estigma asociado al VIH, y uso de Facebook para comunicarse. Entrenamos a 34 participantes. Antes del entrenamiento, la mayoría de líderes ya conocía acerca de prevención del VIH y estaba calificado para el uso de redes sociales. Encontramos un incremento significativo en la comodidad para usar Facebook para discutir acerca de parejas sexuales y de infecciones de transmisión sexual. Es factible reclutar pares calificados para conducir una intervención en Facebook para prevenir el VIH en gays Peruanos.

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Author information

Affiliations

  1. Epidemiology, STD and HIV Unit, School of Public Health and Administration, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru

    Luis A. Menacho

  2. Epicentro Gay Men’s Community Center, Lima, Peru

    Jerome T. Galea

  3. Department of Family Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Sean D. Young

Authors
  1. Luis A. Menacho
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  2. Jerome T. Galea
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  3. Sean D. Young
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luis A. Menacho.

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Menacho, L.A., Galea, J.T. & Young, S.D. Feasibility of Recruiting Peer Educators to Promote HIV Testing Using Facebook Among Men Who have Sex with Men in Peru. AIDS Behav 19, 123–129 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-014-0987-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-014-0987-5

Keywords

  • Developing countries
  • Health intervention
  • HIV
  • Men who have sex with men
  • Online social networking technologies
  • Peer leader