title: Using Grindr, a Smartphone Social-Networking Application, to Increase HIV Self-Testing Among Black and Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men in Los Angeles, 2014.
abstract: In Los Angeles County, about 25% of men who have sex with men (MSM) are HIV-positive but unaware of their status. An advertisement publicizing free HIV self-tests was placed on Grindr, a smartphone social-networking application, from April 17 to May 29, 2014. Users were linked to http://freehivselftests.weebly.com/ to choose a self-test delivery method: U.S. mail, a Walgreens voucher, or from a vending machine. Black or Latino MSM ≥ 18 years old were invited to take a testing experiences survey. During the campaign, the website received 11,939 unique visitors (average: 284 per day) and 334 self-test requests. Among 57 survey respondents, 55 (97%) reported that using the self-test was easy; two persons reported testing HIV positive and both sought medical care. Social networking application self-testing promotion resulted in a large number of self-test requests and has high potential to reach untested high-risk populations who will link to care if they test positive.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Marlin
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: Sean D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: McGill University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Medline
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Jeffrey D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Klausner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044383:Black People; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006679:HIV Seropositivity; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D000068997:Smartphone; D060756:Social Networking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult