The use of technology to find sexual health information online among men who have sex with men in Hanoi, Vietnam, 2016

Nguyen, Minh; Krishnan, Arunkumar; Giang, Lê Minh; Nguyen, Quynh T.; Bhadra, Nia M; Nguyen, Sang M.; Miller, William C.; Go, Vivian F.

doi:10.1177/0956462417738680

Cited by 16 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…There are an estimated 330,000 MSM in Vietnam, of whom some 26% are considered reachable through traditional peer interventions . Studies measuring MSM online behaviour, social media consumption and service utilization suggest that a much larger population could be reached through online interactions . In a representative sample of MSM across four cities, 88.9% of MSM reported owning a smart phone, 97.6% had a social media account and 80% used Facebook regularly .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a representative sample of MSM across four cities, 88.9% of MSM reported owning a smart phone, 97.6% had a social media account and 80% used Facebook regularly . Likewise, from an online descriptive cross‐sectional study among MSM in Hanoi, 66.2% of respondents stated they already used the Internet to seek HIV prevention information, and 73.4% said they sought sex partners online . Studies in Ghana, Thailand and the United States have demonstrated that online MSM peer outreach can result in increased use of HIV testing, particularly among those that are new to HIV services and not already in contact with HIV outreach interventions .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

From conventional to disruptive: upturning the HIV testing status quo among men who have sex with men in Vietnam

Green¹,

Ngoc²,

Phan

et al. 2018

J Intern AIDS Soc

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Introduction HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Vietnam is increasing, while annual HIV testing uptake has remained consistently low, posing a significant challenge to reaching the 90‐90‐90 goals. Barriers to MSM seeking HIV testing include concerns regarding confidentiality and lack of convenient testing options. Two new HIV testing strategies—HIV lay provider and HIV self‐testing (HIVST)—were piloted alongside intensive social media outreach to increase access to and uptake of HIV testing among MSM not actively engaged in services.MethodsWe measured the proportion of first‐time MSM HIV testers opting for HIV lay or self‐testing, and factors that were associated with first‐time testing, as part of a larger HIV lay and self‐testing study among key populations in Vietnam. We also assessed MSM satisfaction with HIV lay or self‐testing, and testing location and provider preferences. Finally, we calculated linkage to care cascade among MSM that were diagnosed and enrolled in anti‐retroviral therapy (ART) services.ResultsAmong MSM that sought HIV lay and self‐testing, 57.9% (n = 320) and 51.3% (n = 412) were first‐time testers respectively. In the final adjusted models, the odds of being a first‐time tester and opting for HIV lay testing were higher among MSM who were young, had lower levels of income and had never exchanged sex for money; for HIVST, the odds of being a first‐time HIV tester were higher among MSM that had attained lower levels of education. HIV lay and self‐testing resulted in higher detection of new HIV cases (6.8%) compared to conventional HIV testing among key populations (estimated at 1.6% in 2016), while MSM linked to testing through social media interventions presented with even higher HIV‐positivity (11%). Combined, 1655 HIV cases were diagnosed and more than 90% were registered for ART services.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that MSM‐delivered HIV testing and self‐testing, promoted through online or face‐to‐face interactions, offer important additions to MSM HIV testing services in Vietnam, and could significantly contribute to epidemic control by increasing HIV testing among harder‐to‐reach and higher‐risk MSM, effectively enrolling them in ART, and reducing onward transmission.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From conventional to disruptive: upturning the HIV testing status quo among men who have sex with men in Vietnam

Green¹,

Ngoc²,

Phan

et al. 2018

J Intern AIDS Soc

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Most of the research studies evaluate the impact of technological advancement to a specific area such as universal service, marketing or health care (see Table 1), while the connection between technology and human is unexplored. Health Care 3 (Vuong, 2016;Nguyen et al, 2018;Vuong et al, 2019) In the field of education, the most notable research study about information technology estimated the possibility of turning virtual reality into a study method (Shen, Ho, Pham, & Kuo, 2018). Besides that, most of the research studies investigate a variety of skills, information technology skills included, that are crucial for university students to find jobs.…”

Section: Review On Scientific Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

The DKAP Project The Country Report of Vietnam

2019

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“…Another study in Ho Chi Minh city revealed that 73.4% of MSM sought male sex partners via the Internet and 76.1% of MSM accepted to find HIV/ AIDS-related information on the Internet [45]. The most recent evidence from 2016 indicated that 91.7% and 67.8% of MSM respectively had a smartphone and a computer/ tablet, of whom 50.7% and 75.1% of MSM used mobile devices to find HIV/STIs testing clinics and HIV/STIs information, correspondingly [46]. The high rates of Internet use and mobile phone ownership in Vietnamese MSM offer a great potential to deliver HIV/STIs-related eHealth interventions to this most-at-risk population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An exploratory assessment of the preference for eHealth interventions to prevent HIV and sexually transmitted infections among men who have sex with men in Hanoi, Vietnam

Nguyen

Larsson

et al. 2020

BMC Public Health

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Background Electronic health (eHealth) interventions are promising in HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) prevention among men who have sex with men (MSM), given a high rate of the Internet use in this population. This study determined the preferences for eHealth interventions to prevent HIV and STIs among MSM in Hanoi, Vietnam to guide the development of future eHealth interventions. Methods Five focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted with 35 MSM recruited by purposive sampling in January 2018 in Hanoi, Vietnam. The FGDs addressed attitudes towards the feasibility and uptake of HIV/STI interventions via online modalities such as smartphone applications (apps, social network sites, or emails); preferences and concerns regarding an online HIV/STI intervention. FGDs were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Content analysis was used to determine themes. Results MSM reported that they commonly searched for information regarding HIV/STI and sexual health on Facebook and a variety of mobile apps. They perceived a lack of reliable online sources, a high need, and interest for an online intervention. Most of them preferred short and concise messages without perceived sensitive words such as “HIV” or “STI”. Diversity of online modalities were preferred with information from credible sources about HIV/STI symptoms, testing and treatment, safe sex practices and testing locations with a focus on safe MSM-friendly clinics. Concerns about the need to trust the organization behind the online information and interventions, and the importance of confidentiality when participating in online interventions were raised. Conclusion High acceptance and perceived need for an online HIV/STI intervention were reported. The importance of establishing trust within the MSM community as a reliable source of information was emphasized, as well as the importance of confidentiality.

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The use of technology to find sexual health information online among men who have sex with men in Hanoi, Vietnam, 2016

Cited by 16 publications

References 14 publications

From conventional to disruptive: upturning the HIV testing status quo among men who have sex with men in Vietnam

From conventional to disruptive: upturning the HIV testing status quo among men who have sex with men in Vietnam

The DKAP Project The Country Report of Vietnam

An exploratory assessment of the preference for eHealth interventions to prevent HIV and sexually transmitted infections among men who have sex with men in Hanoi, Vietnam

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