Keep It Up! 2.0: A Comparison of Two Online HIV Intervention Programs for Young Men Who Have Sex With Men

Summary

Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) account for almost 70% of HIV diagnoses among all young people in the U.S. and are alone in facing an increasing rate of infections. Because YMSM are less likely to receive relevant sexual health education in traditional settings (e.g. schools, community), the Internet is a unique route of reaching and helping YMSM.

The purpose of this study is to compare two different versions of an online HIV prevention program for YMSM. The study is being conducted by researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago, Hunter College in New York City, and Emory University in Atlanta. A total of 900 YMSM will be enrolled into this study from the clinics of community partners in Chicago, New York, and Atlanta.

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two versions of the program. Some topics in the program include HIV facts and myths, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and condom use. All participants, regardless of the program version they receive, will also take at-home urine and rectal tests for the STIs chlamydia and gonorrhea. After completing the program, participants will be contacted three more times over the course of a year for follow-up sessions and surveys.

The research team hypothesizes that the YMSM-specific prevention program will lead to a significant reduction in the frequency of unprotected anal sex acts and new STI infections compared to the HIV knowledge program that is for a general audience. The YMSM-specific program will also lead to improvements in secondary knowledge, motivation, and skills outcomes.

In order for the research team to measure the effectiveness of the YMSM-specific prevention program and determine if the study hypothesis is correct, participants will be asked questions about themselves, including questions about their sexual orientation, sexual experiences, health practices, including drug use, health knowledge, and questions about their feelings and emotions. Based on this information, the research team hopes to later change, improve, or expand the program to better address the needs of YMSM.

Conditions

• HIV
• Gonorrhea
• Chlamydia

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Keep It Up!

BEHAVIORAL

HIV Knowledge Control

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

  collaborator NIH

• Emory University

  collaborator OTHER

• Hunter College of City University of New York

  collaborator OTHER

• Northwestern University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Brian Mustanski, PhD · Northwestern University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

29 Years

Sex

MALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2013-05-31

Primary Completion

2017-03-31

Completion

2017-03-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations