HIV Insight: Online Outreach Services among Men Who Use the Internet to Seek Sex with Other Men (MISM) in Ontario, Canada: An Online Survey

Background

Men who use the Internet to seek sex with other men (MISM) are increasingly using the Internet to find sexual health information and to seek sexual partners, with some research suggesting HIV transmission is associated with sexual partnering online. Aiming to “meet men where they are at,” some AIDS service organizations (ASOs) deliver online outreach services via sociosexual Internet sites and mobile apps.

Objective

To investigate MISM's experiences and self-perceived impacts of online outreach.

Methods

From December 2013 to January 2014, MISM aged 16 years or older were recruited from Internet sites, mobile apps, and ASOs across Ontario to complete a 15-minute anonymous online questionnaire regarding their experience of online outreach. Demographic factors associated with encountering online outreach were assessed using backward-stepwise multivariable logistic regression (P<.05 was considered significant).

Results

Of 1830 MISM who completed the survey, 8.25% (151/1830) reported direct experience with online outreach services. Encountering online outreach was more likely for Aboriginal versus white MISM, MISM from Toronto compared with MISM from either Eastern or Southwestern Ontario, and MISM receiving any social assistance. MISM who experienced online outreach felt the service provider was

friendly (130/141, 92.2%),
easy to understand (122/140, 87.1%),
helpful (115/139, 82.7%),
prompt (107/143, 74.8%), and
knowledgeable (92/134, 68.7%);
half reported they received a useful referral (49/98, 50%).
Few MISM felt the interaction was annoying (13/141, 9.2%)
or confusing (18/142, 12.7%).

As a result of their last online outreach encounter, MISM reported the following:

better understanding of (88/147, 59.9%) and
comfort with (75/147, 51.0%) their level of sexual risk;
increased knowledge (71/147, 48.3%); and
feeling less anxious (51/147, 34.7%),
better connected (46/147, 31.3%), and
more empowered (40/147, 27.2%).

Behaviorally, they reported

using condoms more frequently (48/147, 32.7%)
and effectively (35/147, 23.8%);
getting tested for HIV (43/125, 34.4%)
or STIs (42/147, 28.6%);
asking for their partners’ HIV statuses (37/147, 25.2%);
and serosorting (26/147, 17.7%).

Few MISM reported

no changes (15/147, 10.2%)
and most would use these services again (98/117, 83.8%).

Most MISM who did not use online outreach said they did not need these services (1074/1559, 68.89%) or were unaware of them (496/1559, 31.82%).

Conclusions

This is the first online outreach evaluation study of MISM in Canada. Online outreach services are a relatively new and underdeveloped area of intervention, but are a promising health promotion strategy to provide service referrals and engage diverse groups of MISM in sexual health education.

Full article at: http://goo.gl/6pYu6G

By: David J Brennan, MSW, PhD,¹ Nathan J Lachowsky, PhD,^1,2,3 Georgi Georgievski, HBSc,¹ Brian R Simon Rosser, MPH, PhD,⁴ Duncan MacLachlan,⁵ James Murray, MEd,⁶ and Cruising Counts Research Team¹

¹University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

²University of British Columbia, Faculty of Medicine, Vancouver, BC, Canada

³British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC, Canada

⁴University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, United States

⁵Ontario HIV Treatment Network, Toronto, ON, Canada

⁶Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, AIDS Bureau, Toronto, ON, Canada

David J Brennan, University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, M5S1V4, Canada, Phone: 1 416 978 3273, Fax: 1 416 978 7072, Email: ac.otnorotu@nannerb.divad.

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