Games and Social Networking Could Help Avoid HIV in At-Risk Gay Men


Photo: Jonathan Kitchen/Getty Images

Long after the peak for the United states

AIDS

crisis,

HIV

continues to be an issue among gay guys, that happen to be clinically determined to have the disease at a level “more than 40 occasions regarding females and more than 44 times compared to various other men,” as a
previous paper
when you look at the

Log of Medical Internet Research

details. The report, a study of several tech-driven tactics to decrease the price of

HIV

contained in this at-risk populace, things toward the new generation of (hopefully) effective


treatments.

There are some fascinating options planned, because research’s
news release details
:


One entertaining internet site, Sexpulse, crafted by medical researchers and pc scientists to focus on men just who seek sexual partners on the internet, successfully decreased high-risk sexual actions. Another website, Keep It Up! (

KIU

), used video games in reducing rates of unprotected anal sex. A third effort, a downloadable computer game, aided mitigate pity considered by some teenage boys who possess sex with men, although reduction in risky sexual behavior wasn’t statistically


considerable.

The process the following is much less about

just what

information to supply, considering the fact that the basic principles of exactly how

HIV

and

AIDS

work have-been very well-publicized at this point, than how to deliver it, since simply discussing that a behavior is actually harmful is frequently maybe not enough to change


it.

It is important to suggest this particular does not only apply to homosexual males; individuals participate in all kinds of unsafe behaviors, from substance abuse to overeating to cigarette smoking to having sedentary lifestyles, despite having been told they can be dangerous. This is why practical question of getting men and women to create better decisions is a massive section of worry for public-health scientists — developing an effective behavior input can be a very complicated move to make. (We’ll be publishing an extended, more detailed post about topic


soon.)

Some of the most useful methods logically target social networking sites â€” peer pressure has a tendency to impact you with techniques different appeals typically don’t. This was borne call at the


overview:


On social networks such as for example Twitter and Twitter, well-known individuals can spread

HIV

-prevention communications on their buddies and followers. The sharing of information about

HIV

evaluating join the dating app via this source on a social network seemed to increase needs for

HIV

screening sets, one study discovered. Another learn unearthed that using opinion leaders to share

HIV

-prevention information via social networks may increase assessment rates and bolster condom utilize during rectal intercourse with partners found


using the internet.


Its an extremely peculiar quirk of person reasoning that packaging the same old information in a somewhat various way may cause definitely better results. Fortunately, specialists are starting to take advantage of


this.

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