Yale University
The purpose of this study is to develop a chatbot intervention to promote PrEP awareness and uptake among Black men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Southern United States.
In the United States (US), the epicenter of the HIV epidemic is in the South. The HIV-related death rate in the US South is high, but engagement with quality HIV prevention services and care is low. Although only 38% of the US population lives in the South, the region accounts for 51% of new HIV infections. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) account for 60% of new infections among African Americans in the South. Black MSM are one of the most vulnerable groups to HIV transmission in the US. HIV testing and PrEP uptake in Black MSM, however, remain low (10%) due to multiple…
Inclusion Criteria: * Being cisgender Black male * Being aged ≥ 18 years * Having Internet access * Speaking English * Self-reporting condomless sex with another man in the past 6 months * Living in the U.S. South * HIV negative or untested. Exclusion Criteria: * Not residing in a U.S. Census Bureau-defined Southern state: AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV. * Having received antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment.
Participants in the intervention group will have access to a theory-informed (Self-Determination Theory) chatbot and receive an automated personalized question message (root-node message) from the chatbot. The root-node messages are questions written into the chatbot algorithms to initiate interactive communication with participants. In each round of the interactive communication, the chatbot will provide automated personalized PrEP-related information, autonomous motivation, and psychological needs based on Self-Determination Theory constructs.
Participants in the control group will received general education messages from a research assistant including healthy diet, exercise, and COVID-19 prevention. The frequency of contact will be pre-specified by participants in interviews prior to the RCT.
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