Photo: Jonathan Kitchen/Getty Images
Long afterwards the peak regarding the United states
AIDS
crisis,
HIV
continues to be a major problem among gay guys, who happen to be identified as having the disease at a rate “more than 40 times compared to females and more than 44 instances compared to additional males,” as a
current paper
inside the
Journal of Health Web Research
details. The report, a survey of various tech-driven strategies to lessen the rate of
HIV
in this at-risk population, points toward the new generation of (ideally) efficient
interventions.
There are some interesting options in the offing, because the learn’s
press release explains
:
One entertaining internet site, Sexpulse, designed by health professionals and computer scientists to target males which seek sexual partners online, effectively paid down risky intimate habits. Another site, Keep It Up! (
KIU
), utilized video gaming in lowering costs of exposed anal sex. A third step, a downloadable game, aided mitigate embarrassment experienced by some young men who possess gender with males, although the reduction in dangerous sexual conduct was not statistically
considerable.
The process listed here is less about
just what
message to provide, given that the basic principles of how
HIV
and
HELPS
work were fairly well-publicized at this point, than how to provide it, since simply discussing that a conduct is dangerous can be maybe not adequate adjust
it.
You’ll want to explain that does not only apply at homosexual men; individuals practice all sorts of dangerous behaviors, from substance abuse to overeating to smoking cigarettes to having inactive lifestyles, despite having been advised they truly are risky. This is why practical question of getting people to create healthiest choices is actually an enormous part of worry for public-health researchers â developing a powerful behavior intervention may be an extremely challenging action to take. (we’re going to end up being uploading a lengthier, more in-depth article about topic
eventually.)
A few of the most useful approaches wisely target social networks â peer stress can influence united states in ways different appeals usually do not. This was borne out in the
analysis:
On internet sites such as Twitter and Twitter, preferred people can distribute
HIV
-prevention communications their friends and followers. The sharing of information about
HIV
evaluating join the dating app via this source on a social networking appeared to boost needs for
HIV
screening kits, one learn found. Another learn found that making use of opinion leaders to share
HIV
-prevention details via social networks may boost examination prices and bolster condom use during anal intercourse with partners found
on the web.
It is a really strange quirk of human being thought that presentation the same kind of info in a slightly different way can cause much better outcomes. Fortunately, specialists are starting to benefit from
this.