Presented at YTH Live 2014's Poster Session, review findings from an ongoing HIV prevention trial for young black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) in Dallas and Houston TX.

1. Technology, HIV risk, and HIV prevention among
young African American MSM
G. Rebchook1, L. Pollack1, R. Williams1, J. Hamiga1, A. Eke4, W. Johnson4, D. Huebner2, J. Peterson3, and S. Kegeles1
1Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco, CA; 2University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT;
3Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA; 4Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Background
• Young black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) are at very high risk for HIV, with seroprevalence estimates as high as 30%.
• Little has been published about the association of meeting sex partners online and HIV risk among YBMSM, despite the fact
that HIV prevalence and incidence rates are unacceptably high in this population.
Methods
• Findings are from an ongoing HIV prevention trial for
YBMSM in Dallas and Houston TX.
• Data come from 2 baseline assessments (N=1,289) of a
randomized, controlled trial of a community-wide,
multilevel HIV prevention intervention for YBG/BM.
• Dallas intervention called UBE (United Black Ellument)
• Examples from UBE illustrate how electronic social media
can be used in HIV prevention programs for YBMSM.
Findings about meeting partners online and HIV risk
• 17.4% of YBMSM (N=218) reported meeting at least one
sexual partner online in the past 2 months.
• Of those 218 men, 60.1% (N=131) reported unprotected
anal intercourse (UAI) with a non-primary partner in the
past 2 months.
• Among the men who did not meet a partner online
(N=1,033), only 14.2% (N=147) reported UAI with a non-
primary partner in the past 2 months.
• Technology use is associated with increased HIV risk
behavior of YBMSM.
UBE social-media outreach and publicity materials
• UBE uses social media, including Facebook and Twitter, to
reach and empower large networks of Dallas-area
YBMSM to build community in preventing HIV.
• Messages can address determinants of unsafe sex beyond
just the “condom code.”
Facebook/UBEDallas: 1900 likes
Twitter @UBEllument: 500 followers
Instagram @UBEllument: 189 followers
Black Gay Chat: UBE placed a variety of outreach and publicity
materials on this popular social website.
Print media publicity campaign: supplements social media
Videos: Youtube/UnitedBlackEllument – 28 original content videos
Texting: Trumpia texting service: 271 subscribers. In addition to
event announcements and community-building messages, here
are sample safer sex texts:
Conclusions
• Prevalence of UAI (with non-primary partners) in the past 2 months among men who met a partner online is more than
twice that of those who did not meet a partner online.
• UBE is a community-level, HIV prevention intervention for YBMSM, ages 18-29. It is peer-led and supplements in-person
activities with use of electronic social media.
• Social media can be used to engage the community, publicize in-person activities, and disseminate attractive HIV prevention
messages.
• In-person activities (e.g., small groups) must specifically address HIV risk in the context of meeting partners online or via geo-
locating apps.