Effects of Internet Popular Opinion Leaders (iPOL) Among Internet-Using Men Who Have Sex With Men
Open Access
- 25 February 2013
- journal article
- Published by JMIR Publications Inc. in Journal of Medical Internet Research
- Vol. 15 (2), e40
- https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.2264
Abstract
Background: The Internet has become a popular venue for facilitating sex networking for men who have sex with men (MSM). Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Internet popular opinion leaders (iPOL) in disseminating information about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), increasing the frequency of HIV testing, and reducing risky behaviors among MSM in Taiwan. Methods: A quasi-experimental study with a nonequivalent control website for comparison was used to estimate the effectiveness of iPOL. A community-level intervention, iPOL, was conducted at the Facebook social networking website and at top1069 as a control. The iPOLs actively disseminated HIV-related information via the platform of Internet opinion leaders and AIDS information center, and discussed and responded to questions or replied to Internet-using MSM. Results: A total of 369 iPOLs posted 432 articles and 503 replies to others, influencing 959,088 persons on Facebook. A total of 1037 MSM, 552 (53.23%) from an intervention website and 485 (46.76%) from a control website, participated in the follow-up study survey (response rate 96%). At the 6-month follow-up after the intervention was conducted, MSM who visited the intervention website were more likely to receive HIV-related information (25.49% versus 10.47%, P P P P P P =.004). Conclusions: The study showed the feasibility and effectiveness of the iPOL intervention as an online HIV prevention program. These findings underscore the importance of disseminating HIV information online, as well as the challenges inherent in the efforts of iPOL to reduce HIV-related risky behaviors among Internet-using MSM. [J Med Internet Res 2013;15(2):e40]Keywords
This publication has 30 references indexed in Scilit:
- Internet-Based HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing in British Columbia, Canada: Opinions and Expectations of Prospective ClientsJournal of Medical Internet Research, 2012
- Harnessing Online Peer Education (HOPE): Integrating C-POL and social media to train peer leaders in HIV preventionAIDS Care, 2011
- Predictors of Retention in an Online Follow-up Study of Men Who Have Sex With MenJournal of Medical Internet Research, 2011
- Seeking Support on Facebook: A Content Analysis of Breast Cancer GroupsJournal of Medical Internet Research, 2011
- Case Study: An Ethics Case Study of HIV Prevention Research on Facebook: The Just/Us StudyJournal of Pediatric Psychology, 2011
- Internet Use, Social Networking, and HIV/AIDS Risk for Homeless AdolescentsJournal of Adolescent Health, 2010
- Effect of a Community Popular Opinion Leader HIV/STI Intervention on Stigma in Urban, Coastal PeruAIDS and Behavior, 2010
- Online Social Networking Technologies, HIV Knowledge, and Sexual Risk and Testing Behaviors Among Homeless YouthAIDS and Behavior, 2010
- Efficacy of computer technology-based HIV prevention interventions: a meta-analysisAIDS, 2009
- Design and integration of ethnography within an international behavior change HIV/sexually transmitted disease prevention trialAIDS, 2007