Abstract
The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in China is low overall (0.06%) (1); however, it is substantially higher (8.0%) among men who have sex with men (MSM) (2), and the stigmatization of same-sex behaviors in China presents challenges for HIV prevention and treatment efforts. In 2015, Blued, a Beijing-based media company that operates an online dating application popular among Chinese MSM, launched an ongoing HIV testing campaign that combined its push-notification† platform and geolocation capabilities to encourage HIV testing among MSM in Beijing. To assess trends in use of HIV testing services, Blued and CDC's China HIV program examined testing at six Blued-operated Beijing HIV testing centers from 2 years before the campaign launch in 2015 through December 31, 2017. A sharp increase in HIV testing followed the launch of Blued's online campaign, indicating that leveraging social media platforms and their geolocation-based text messaging functionality might be useful in increasing HIV testing among MSM, particularly those aged ≤35 years.
Highlights
Leveraging social media platforms and their geolocation-based text messaging functionality might be useful in increasing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing among Men who have sex with men (MSM), those aged ≤35 years
Lower among college students than among non-college students; the majority of HIV positive test results were among MSM aged ≤35 years, only 10% of those were college students
Prioritizing the strengthening of technical assistance through partnerships with organizations actively engaging with the target population might expand the scope and reach of geosocial networking applications and facilitate understanding of users’ health behaviors, HIV testing history, and other factors that affect HIV acquisition
Summary
Using Social Media To Increase HIV Testing Among Men Who Have Sex with Men — Beijing, China, 2013–2017. In 2015, Blued, a Beijing-based media company that operates an online dating application popular among Chinese MSM, launched an ongoing HIV testing campaign that combined its push-notification† platform and geolocation capabilities to encourage HIV testing among MSM in Beijing. A sharp increase in HIV testing followed the launch of Blued’s online campaign, indicating that leveraging social media platforms and their geolocation-based text messaging functionality might be useful in increasing HIV testing among MSM, those aged ≤35 years. In 2015, Blued launched an online campaign to promote HIV testing at its drop-in sites. To assess the impact of the social media–based HIV testing promotion campaign, CDC’s China HIV program (supported by the U.S President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief [PEPFAR]) helped Blued conduct a secondary analysis of the data collected during 2013–2017 from the six Blued drop-in sites. An HIV-positive test result was not associated with the source of referral for HIV testing or the location at which a participant received HIV testing
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