Video gaming and Social Media Marketing Could Help Counter HIV in At-Risk Gay Men


Photo: Jonathan Kitchen/Getty Images

Long afterwards the top of this American

HELPS

situation,

HIV

is still a major problem among homosexual males, that happen to be clinically determined to have the condition at a level “more than 40 times that ladies and more than 44 occasions compared to various other men,” as a
current paper
inside the

Journal of Medical Internet Analysis

details. The paper, a survey of numerous tech-driven techniques to lower the rate of

HIV

inside at-risk populace, factors toward the next generation of (hopefully) effective


treatments.

There are a few interesting choices in the pipeline, as the learn’s
news release explains
:


One entertaining internet site, Sexpulse, created by health professionals and computer system scientists to a target guys whom seek intimate associates online, successfully decreased high-risk intimate habits. Another website, Keep It Up! (

KIU

), utilized video games to help reduce rates of unprotected rectal intercourse. A third step, an online computer game, assisted mitigate pity noticed by some men that intercourse with men, although reduction in dangerous intimate behavior wasn’t statistically


significant.

The challenge listed here is less about

what

information to produce, considering that the basic principles of exactly how

HIV

and

HELPS

work have-been very well-publicized at this stage, than how exactly to provide it, since simply discussing that a conduct is actually hazardous is usually perhaps not enough to change


it.

It is advisable to explain that this doesn’t only apply to gay guys; individuals engage in a number of hazardous actions, from drug abuse to overeating to cigarette smoking to having sedentary lifestyles, despite having been informed they are unsafe. That’s why the question of the way to get individuals make more healthy choices is actually a massive part of issue for public-health experts — creating a fruitful behavior intervention can be a very complicated thing to do. (we will end up being publishing an extended, much more in-depth post on this subject subject matter


eventually.)

A few of the most helpful approaches smartly target social media sites â€” peer pressure has a tendency to affect united states with techniques various other is attractive frequently you should never. It was borne in the


analysis:


On social support systems including Facebook and Twitter, common individuals can spread

HIV

-prevention messages with their pals and supporters. The posting of information about

HIV

testing join the dating app via this source on a myspace and facebook appeared to increase needs for

HIV

screening products, one learn found. Another learn found that using view leaders to disseminate

HIV

-prevention information via social networks may boost screening costs and bolster condom use during anal intercourse with associates found


on line.


Its a really unusual quirk of peoples thought that packaging the same kind of details in a somewhat different way may cause definitely better effects. Luckily, experts are starting to take advantage of


this.