Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth too often live in nonsupportive environments. This study reports the influence of social support from primary and secondary social ties on confidence and self-esteem among participants in Hatch Youth, a drop-in group-level intervention for SGM youth. Each 3-hour Hatch Youth meeting consists of a social, educational, and youth-led support hour. Over 14 weeks, these meetings were randomly observed and individual interviews with participating youth ( n = 12) and staff and volunteers ( n = 12) were conducted; data underwent a content analysis. Participants perceived an increase in confidence and self-esteem through enhanced bonding with family and friends, a sense of belonging, and community empowerment because of their involvement with Hatch Youth, suggesting drop-in centers can strengthen secondary social ties and improve confidence and self-esteem.

BackgroundAs Internet and mobile phone use expands in India, there is an opportunity to develop mobile health (mHealth) interventions for marginalized populations, including men who have sex with men (MSM) and hijras (transgender women), hesitant to access traditional health care systems.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine if an mHealth intervention was acceptable to MSM and hijras living in Mumbai, and if so, what features would be useful in targeting the prevention of HIV acquisition and to increase the quality of life among persons living with HIV/AIDS.MethodsData from 4 focus groups with MSM and interviews with 4 hijras, 10 health service providers, and 8 mHealth developers were thematically analyzed.ResultsOnce the need for an mHealth intervention was confirmed, comments about features were organized into 3 themes: content, interface, and retention. Content subthemes included providing sex education for younger community members, providing information about STIs, and providing information and social support for persons living with HIV. Interface subthemes included presenting content using pictures; using videos to present stories of role models; using push notifications for testing, appointment, and medication reminders; using geolocation to link to just-in-time services; and using telemedicine to increase access to health service providers and community services. The 5 retention subthemes included keeping it fun, using gaming mechanics, developing content in regional languages, protecting confidentiality, and linking to social networking apps.ConclusionsThese findings may help inform mHealth development in India.

This exploratory study examines measures of one drop-in center's efforts to improve health outcomes of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) youth by facilitating out-group secondary social ties. Hatch Youth, located in Houston, Texas, aims to increase self-esteem and decrease negative health outcomes by encouraging GLBT youth to be part of Houston's greater GLBT community. Survey data ( N = 614) collected between October 2003 and April 2013 were entered into logistic regression models. Attending Hatch Youth for 6 or more months was associated with having a social group outside of school (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.07; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.33, 3.20]), being out to that social group (aOR = 2.34; 95% CI = [1.35, 4.03]), and interacting with the GLBT community outside of Hatch Youth (aOR = 2.33; 95% CI = [1.50, 3.54]), when referenced against youth attending less than 1 month. Having a good family relationship in the last 90 days (aOR = 2.48; 95% CI = [1.67, 3.70]) and having a social group outside of school (aOR = 2.57; 95% CI = [1.67, 3.97]) were associated with higher self-esteem. Higher self-esteem was associated with practicing safe sex (aOR = 1.86; 95% CI = [1.25, 2.75]) and not using street drugs (aOR = 0.45; 95% CI = [0.24, 0.83]). Interacting with the GLBT community outside of Hatch Youth was associated with practicing safe sex (aOR = 1.64; 95% CI = [1.12, 2.42]). Drop-in centers can strengthen secondary social ties among youth. Because questions remain about how drop-in centers can assist youth aging out of their programs to find other supportive secondary social ties, additional studies examining similar drop-in centers are needed.

Purpose Persistent infection with oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) is the primary cause of anal cancer, a disease that disproportionately affects men who have sex with men (MSM); however, there is no uniform screening protocol to detect anal cancer. This qualitative study explores whether a self-anal exam (SAE) or partner anal exam (PAE), that includes self-palpation or palpation of a partner’s anal canal, is an acceptable and self-efficacious screening test, which will cue appropriate follow-up care in MSM. Methods Twenty-four MSM living in Houston took part in four focus group sessions eliciting their responses to a study teaching them to perform an SAE or PAE (SAE/PAE). Participants were asked about the acceptability and feasibility of executing an SAE/PAE routinely. Thematic analysis of session transcripts was used to identify common patterns in participant responses. Results: Overall, participants expressed self-efficacy for performing an SAE/PAE and voiced a preference for being taught the procedure by a clinician. Participants agreed that they would consult with a clinician if they ever discovered an abnormality while performing an SAE/PAE. A lack of knowledge about anal cancer among MSM may present a barrier to adopting SAE/PAE. In discussing their experience of the exams, some participants suggested that it could become a routine practice for them. Conclusions Our findings suggest that SAE and PAE, as a screen for anal cancer, are acceptable and feasible to MSM. Future research should explore attitudes and beliefs of MSM, with the aim of improving anal cancer education and understanding of pathologic findings.

Background: As Internet and smartphone use expands in India, there is an opportunity to develop mobile health (mHealth) interventions for marginalized populations, including men who have sex with men (MSM) and hijras/transgender women, hesitant to access traditional healthcare systems. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if an mHealth intervention was acceptable to MSM and hijras living in Mumbai, and if so, what features would be used. Methods: Data from four focus groups with MSM and interviews with four hijras, ten healthcare providers, and eight mHealth developers were thematically analyzed. Results: Once the need for an mHealth intervention was confirmed, comments about features were organized into three themes: content, usability, and retention. Content subthemes included providing sex education for younger community members, providing information about STIs, and providing information and social support for persons living with HIV. Usability subthemes included presenting content using pictures; using videos to present stories of role models; using push notifications for testing, appointment, and medication reminders; using geo-location to link to just-in-time services; and using telemedicine to increase access to healthcare providers and community services. Five retention subthemes included keeping it fun, using gaming mechanics, developing content in regional languages, protecting confidentiality, and linking to social networking apps. Conclusion: These findings may help inform mHealth development in India.