Department of Research and Evaluation, Bienestar Human Services, Inc., Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
Division of Public Health & Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2022 May 13;17(5):e0268406. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268406. eCollection 2022.
HIV disproportionately affects Latinos versus Whites, with Latinos having higher rates of HIV. Additionally, many HIV-positive Latinos are unaware of their infection. Proyecto Protégete, an HIV prevention intervention developed for Latino men who have sex with men (MSM), used social and sexual networking mobile applications (apps) to recruit individuals for HIV testing and linkage to medical care and prevention services. This study occurred in Los Angeles County, California, USA from December 18, 2015 to April 22, 2017. The study's primary aim was to assess Proyecto Protégete's ability to successfully recruit Latino MSM involved in high-risk sexual activities. A secondary aim was to evaluate its capacity to promote HIV testing and linkage to HIV medical care and prevention services among this population by comparing it to two programs with similar samples. Comparisons using Fisher's Exact Test were conducted between Proyecto Protégete and the HIV testing program of the agency in which Proyecto Protégete was located and the County-funded HIV testing programs to compare the samples' rates of HIV-positive Latino MSM identified through HIV testing and linked to HIV medical care and prevention services. Participants were recruited through seven apps. In Proyecto Protégete, 9,573 individuals completed the screener, 4,657 were eligible, and 359 (7.7% of those eligible) enrolled. Among those enrolled, 79% reported anal sex without a condom in the previous twelve months; 51% reported anal sex under the influence of alcohol. The HIV positivity rates were as follows: Proyecto Protégete, 1.71%; the agency, 1.25% (p = .293, compared to Proyecto Protégete); and the County, 1.09% (p = .172, compared to Proyecto Protégete). The rates of those confirmed as new HIV-positives and linked to medical care within 30 days were as follows: Proyecto Protégete, 71.4%; the agency, 81.5% (p = .450, compared to Proyecto Protégete); and the County, 77.3% (p = .503, compared to Proyecto Protégete). Proyecto Protégete had a higher rate of linked referrals to prevention services than the agency's testing program (19.5% versus 8.3%, p < .001). Proyecto Protégete experienced successes in some areas but not in others. Future research should build on Proyecto Protégete's experiences to promote HIV-related services among Latino MSM.
艾滋病毒在拉丁裔人群中的感染率明显高于白种人，而且许多艾滋病毒呈阳性的拉丁裔人并不知道自己已被感染。Proyecto Protégete 是一项针对与男性发生性关系的男男性行为者（MSM）的艾滋病毒预防干预措施，它使用社会和性网络移动应用程序（apps）招募个人进行艾滋病毒检测，并将其与医疗保健和预防服务联系起来。本研究于 2015 年 12 月 18 日至 2017 年 4 月 22 日在美国加利福尼亚州洛杉矶县进行。该研究的主要目的是评估 Proyecto Protégete 成功招募参与高风险性行为的拉丁裔 MSM 的能力。次要目标是通过将其与两个具有类似样本的方案进行比较，评估其在该人群中促进艾滋病毒检测以及与艾滋病毒医疗保健和预防服务联系的能力。通过 Fisher 精确检验比较了 Proyecto Protégete 与所在机构的艾滋病毒检测方案和县政府资助的艾滋病毒检测方案，以比较通过艾滋病毒检测确定的艾滋病毒阳性拉丁裔 MSM 及其与艾滋病毒医疗保健和预防服务的联系率。参与者通过七个应用程序招募。在 Proyecto Protégete 中，有 9573 人完成了筛选，4657 人符合条件，359 人（符合条件者的 7.7%）入组。在入组者中，79%的人报告在过去 12 个月中进行了无保护措施的肛交；51%的人报告在饮酒影响下进行了肛交。艾滋病毒阳性率如下：Proyecto Protégete，1.71%；机构，1.25%（p=.293，与 Proyecto Protégete 相比）；县，1.09%（p=.172，与 Proyecto Protégete 相比）。在 30 天内被确认为新艾滋病毒阳性并与医疗保健联系的比例如下：Proyecto Protégete，71.4%；机构，81.5%（p=.450，与 Proyecto Protégete 相比）；县，77.3%（p=.503，与 Proyecto Protégete 相比）。Proyecto Protégete 向预防服务的转介率高于机构的检测方案（19.5%比 8.3%，p <.001）。Proyecto Protégete 在某些方面取得了成功，但在其他方面没有成功。未来的研究应该借鉴 Proyecto Protégete 的经验，促进拉丁裔男男性行为者的艾滋病毒相关服务。
