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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2017 Jul;140(1):e20162999.
doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-2999.

Pilot RCT Results of an mHealth HIV Prevention Program for Sexual Minority Male Adolescents

Michele L Ybarra  1 , Tonya L Prescott  2 , Gregory L Phillips 2nd  3 , Sheana S Bull  4 , Jeffrey T Parsons  5 , Brian Mustanski  6
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Pilot RCT Results of an mHealth HIV Prevention Program for Sexual Minority Male Adolescents

Michele L Ybarra et al. Pediatrics. 2017 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Guy2Guy (G2G) is the first comprehensive HIV prevention program developed for sexual minority males as young as 14 years old and is delivered nationally via text messaging. Here, we report the results of the pilot randomized control trial.

Methods: G2G was tested against an attention-matched "healthy lifestyle" control (eg, self-esteem). Both programs lasted 5 weeks and delivered 5 to 10 text messages daily. A 1-week booster was delivered 6 weeks subsequently. Participants were cisgender males ages 14 to 18 years old who were gay, bisexual, and/or queer and had an unlimited text messaging plan. Youth were recruited across the United States via Facebook and enrolled by telephone from October 2014 to April 2015. Ninety-day postintervention outcomes were condomless sex acts (CSA) and abstinence and, secondarily, HIV testing. We also examined these outcomes at intervention end and stratified them by sexual experience.

Results: At 90 days postintervention, there were no significant differences in CSAs or abstinence noted. Among participants who were sexually active at baseline, intervention participants were significantly more likely to report getting an HIV test (adjusted odds ratio = 3.42, P = .001). They were also less likely than control youth to be abstinent (adjusted odds ratio = 0.48, P = .05). CSAs were significantly lower for those in the intervention versus control at intervention end (incident rate ratio = 0.39, P = .04), although significance was lost once age was added to the analysis (incident rate ratio = 0.58, P = .26).

Conclusions: G2G appears promising in increasing adolescent HIV testing rates. Sex-positive intervention messages appear to have increased the participants' comfort with having sex (ie, less abstinence) while not increasing their potential for HIV transmission (ie, more CSAs). Additional content or features may be needed to invigorate condom use.

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Conflict of interest statement

POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Time line of the G2G RCT implementation.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
G2G Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials .
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV Surveillance — Adolescents and Young Adults. Available at: www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/statistics_surveillance_Adolescents.pdf. Accessed June 15, 2016
    1. Mustanski BS, Newcomb ME, Du Bois SN, Garcia SC, Grov C. HIV in young men who have sex with men: a review of epidemiology, risk and protective factors, and interventions. J Sex Res. 2011;48(2–3):218–253 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Compendium of evidence-based interventions and best practices for HIV prevention. Available at: www.cdc.gov/hiv/prevention/research/compendium/rr/complete.html. Accessed June 15, 2016
    1. Mustanski B, Fisher CB. HIV rates are increasing in gay/bisexual teens: IRB barriers to research must be resolved to bend the curve. Am J Prev Med. 2016;51(2):249–252 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lenhart A. Teens, Social Media, & Technology Overview 2015. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project; 2015. Available at www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/

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