Badru Oluwaseun Abdulganiyu, Adeagbo Oluwafemi Atanda
Department of Community and Behavioral Health, University of Iowa, USA.
Department of Sociology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Digit Health. 2024 Dec 5;10:20552076241302250. doi: 10.1177/20552076241302250. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.
OBJECTIVE: The World Health Organization approved HIV self-test (HIVST) to break the barriers to HIV testing. Black men who have sex with men (Black MSM) in the United States are less likely to test for HIV or link to care due to several factors, such as stigma and distance. We explored Black MSM's knowledge of HIVST and their willingness to use a mobile application (mHealth) to link to HIV care and engage with health providers. METHODS: Between March and September 2023, we interviewed 12 Black MSM in small urban areas and explored HIVST awareness and willingness to use mHealth. Participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. The data were analyzed inductively. RESULTS: The age range was 20-42 years. Participants had mixed knowledge of HIVST. The barriers to HIVST uptake are poor knowledge of HIVST, lack of adequate medical insurance to access HIVST kits, and concerns about the efficacy of HIVST kits. Black MSM were willing to link to care via mHealth but expressed concerns related to safety, confidentiality, and the risk of HIV stigma. Participants recommended wider awareness via social media and that the proposed mobile application has a simple interface for ease of use. CONCLUSION: To encourage uptake among Black MSM, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services should make HIVST accessible (low-cost or free). The proposed mHealth should be developed with a simple and interactive interface, including images and videos to guide HIVST and linkage to health professionals for assistance.
目的:世界卫生组织批准了艾滋病病毒自我检测(HIVST),以打破艾滋病病毒检测的障碍。在美国,由于耻辱感和距离等多种因素,与男性发生性关系的黑人(黑人男男性行为者)进行艾滋病病毒检测或获得护理的可能性较小。我们探讨了黑人男男性行为者对HIVST的了解以及他们使用移动应用程序(移动健康)获得艾滋病病毒护理并与医疗服务提供者互动的意愿。 方法:在2023年3月至9月期间,我们采访了12名来自小城市地区的黑人男男性行为者,探讨了他们对HIVST的认识以及使用移动健康的意愿。通过立意抽样和滚雪球抽样招募参与者。对数据进行归纳分析。 结果:年龄范围为20至42岁。参与者对HIVST的了解程度不一。采用HIVST的障碍包括对HIVST了解不足、缺乏足够的医疗保险来获取HIVST检测试剂盒以及对HIVST检测试剂盒功效的担忧。黑人男男性行为者愿意通过移动健康获得护理,但对安全性、保密性以及艾滋病病毒耻辱感风险表示担忧。参与者建议通过社交媒体提高认识,并建议拟议的移动应用程序具有简单的界面以便于使用。 结论:为鼓励黑人男男性行为者采用,爱荷华州卫生与公众服务部应使HIVST易于获得(低成本或免费)。拟议的移动健康应用程序应开发出简单且交互式的界面,包括图像和视频,以指导HIVST并与健康专业人员联系以获得帮助。