Video Games and Social Media Marketing May Help Stop HIV in At-Risk Gay Guys


Photo: Jonathan Kitchen/Getty Images

Long afterwards the peak associated with United states

AIDS

situation,

HIV

continues to be a major problem among homosexual men, that are diagnosed with the disease for a price “more than 40 instances compared to ladies and more than 44 occasions compared to some other males,” as a
current paper
when you look at the

Journal of Medical Internet Research

explains. The report, a study of numerous tech-driven methods to reduce steadily the price of

HIV

in this at-risk population, points toward the new generation of (ideally) successful


treatments.

You will find some interesting options in the pipeline, due to the fact research’s
news release details
:


One interactive website, Sexpulse, crafted by medical researchers and pc researchers to target guys whom look for intimate lovers on the web, effectively lowered high-risk intimate actions. Another site, Continue The Good Work! (

KIU

), made use of game titles to help reduce costs of unprotected anal sex. A third step, an online computer game, assisted mitigate embarrassment experienced by some young men who have intercourse with men, although the decrease in risky intimate behavior was not statistically


significant.

The challenge here is significantly less about

what

information to provide, given that the fundamentals of how

HIV

and

AIDS

work were quite well-publicized at this time, than simple tips to deliver it, since simply explaining that a conduct is actually hazardous can be perhaps not enough to switch


it.

It is advisable to point out this doesn’t just apply to gay men; folks take part in all sorts of dangerous behaviors, from substance abuse to overeating to smoking cigarettes to having sedentary lifestyles, despite being informed they can be dangerous. For this reason practical question of getting men and women to create more healthy choices is actually a massive section of concern for public-health researchers — designing a very good behavior intervention can be a very challenging thing to do. (We’ll be posting a lengthier, a lot more detailed post about subject


eventually.)

A few of the most of use methods smartly target internet sites â€” peer pressure can influence united states in many ways different appeals often don’t. This was borne out in the


overview:


On social networking sites such Twitter and Twitter, common people can spread

HIV

-prevention emails on their pals and supporters. The sharing of data about

HIV

screening join the dating app via this source on a social network appeared to increase needs for

HIV

evaluating kits, one research found. Another research discovered that making use of viewpoint leaders to disseminate

HIV

-prevention information via social support systems may increase evaluating rates and bolster condom utilize during anal sex with associates found


on the web.


Its a tremendously unusual quirk of individual thinking that presentation the same kind of information in a somewhat different means can result in a lot better results. Fortunately, specialists are beginning to take advantage of


this.