Information and communication technologies (ICT) access indicators in the LGBTQ+ population with a high risk of contagion by acquired immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Honduras

Abstract

In all societies, some populations are prioritized to be served by civil organizations and governments; access to technologies is typically left aside, especially in developing countries. The sample was for intentional contributions through the snowball method to reach 107 study participants. A survey-type instrument has been carried out where access, the use, and knowledge about convergent devices have been measured in a sample of individuals belonging to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and more (LGBTQ+) community. Basic statistics have been carried out to describe the frequencies of the sociodemographic variables and access to information and communication technologies (ICT). The LGBTQ+ community has access to convergent technologies, with a regular quality of service, with a preference for mobile devices and high daily use of them; there's an incongruence between income and spending on telecommunications services since it was perceived that this is a prioritized expense for all of them, even for those with the lowest economic income. The results of this study indicate that the LGBTQ+ community has significantly greater access to information technology and telecommunications services than the general population that hosts them; this study gives us a vision of how to offer technological solutions to prevent HIV in this community with a high incidence of this disease. Keywords: ICT; Digital divide; LGBTQ+; Convergency