Geosocial-networking App Use Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in High HIV Community Viral Load Areas of Baltimore City.

Details

• Alternative Title:
  AIDS and Behavior, 2025, v. 29, no. 7: Geosocial-networking App Use Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in High HIV Community Viral Load Areas of Baltimore City.
• Journal Article:
  AIDS and Behavior
• Personal Author:
  Fields, Errol L. ; Evans, Kimberly N. ; Liu, Yang ; Thornton, Nicole ; Long, Amanda ; Uzzi, Mudia ; Gaul, Zaneta ; Buchacz, Kate ; King, Hope ; Jennings, Jacky M.
• Description:
  Geosocial networking applications (GSN apps) are important tools for HIV/sexually transmitted infection prevention among men who have sex with men (MSM). Strategies for identifying high transmission and acquisition among GSN app users are needed to prioritize public health response. Community viral load (CVL) is associated with HIV transmission and can be used to identify populations with behaviors/environment associated with HIV/STI risk. We sought to determine user profile characteristics and utilization patterns associated with GSN app use in high CVL census tracts (CT). We used routine HIV surveillance data from in-care individuals and their viral loads at the point of diagnosis to estimate CVL in 200 CTs across Baltimore City. CTs were ordered based on CVL and categorized into quantiles from high to low. Among GSN user profiles, multiple imputation methods were used to complete missing profile characteristics. We then used imputed datasets to explore the association between profile characteristics, app utilization times, and app use in high CVL CTs using a Poisson regression model with robust error variances. Data on 606 profiles were collected originally and imputed 50 times to create a complete data set for analysis. GSN app users were aged 18-65 years mean = 33.9, 95% confidence interval (CI): 33.1-34.7, with 52.2% Black (95% CI: 47.9- 56.5%), 6.8% living with HIV (95% CI: 4.4- 9.2%), 39.1% in high CVL CTs (95% CI: 35.2- 43.0%), 50.6% use at nighttime (95% CI: 46.7- 54.6%) and 51.6% use during the weekend (95% CI: 47.6- 55.6%). Black MSM users Relative risk (RR) = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.04-1.20 were associated with GSN app use in high CVL CTs. MSM with profiles listing versatile sex position preference (RR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.02-1.23) and profiles listing top sex position preference (RR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.03-1.23) were associated with GSN app use in high and medium CVL CTs. GSN app user profiles of people in high and medium CVL CTs, especially Black MSM and those who report top and versatile sexual positions, may benefit from online prevention messages and real-time notification of health resources presently available in their communities to reduce HIV transmission.
• Content Notes:
  Author manuscript
• Subjects:
  • Humans
  • Male
  • HIV Infections
  • Adult
  • Homosexuality, Male
  • Mobile Applications
  • Viral Load
  • Middle Aged
  • Young Adult
  • Adolescent
  More +
• Keywords:
  • HIV
  • Community viral load
  • Geo-social networking apps
  • Mobile app
  • Dating apps
  • Men who have sex with men
  • African american
• Source:
  AIDS and Behavior, 2025, v. 29, no. 7
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-025-04676-0
• ISSN:
  1090-7165 ; 1573-3254
• Pubmed ID:
  40126746
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC12229753
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  U01 PS005115/PS/NCHHSTP CDC HHSUnited States/ ; U01 PS 005115/National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention/
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Baltimore
• Pages in Document:
  2125-2134 (18 pdf pages)
• Volume:
  29
• Issue:
  7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/261569/cdc_261569_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 394.84 KB]
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:156f0c275863e2a55ec66681b25dc3e97e29a8bb2f5b67af73be618695766ddd956caa0dfa11dfa8a40f39c1c294f20bcb79fbc6642a64f7cd329e8b8023f9da