WEAC0205
Share
 
Title
Social-media based secondary distribution of HIV self-testing among Chinese men who have sex with men: A pilot implementation program assessment
Presenter
Dan Wu
Authors
D. Wu1,2, M.K. Smith3, J.J. Ong4, T. Ritchwood5, H. Fu6, S.W. Pan7, J.D. Tucker1,2,4, Y. Zhou8, W. Tang1,2,9
Institutions
1University of North Carolina Project-China, Guangzhou, China, 2Social Entrepreneurship to Spur Health (SESH) Global, Guangzhou, China, 3University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, Minneapolis, United States, 4London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London, United Kingdom, 5Duke University, Community and Family Medicine, Durham, United States, 6Eastern Virginia, Medical School, Division of Community Health and Research, Norfolk, United States, 7Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Suzhou, China, 8Center for Diseases Control and Prevention, Zhuhai, China, 9Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China

Background: HIV self-testing (HIVST) is increasingly used in low- and middle-income countries for testing scale-up. Social media and secondary distribution through individuals'' networks each show strong promise to improve test uptake among men who have sex with men (MSM). The application of these two methods in combination may further accelerate HIVST use in this key population. However, the approach has not been empirically tested. We assessed a pilot implementation program in Zhuhai, China, which focused on promoting HIV test uptake through distributing HIVST kits by index MSM via social media.
Methods: Men who were aged 16 or above, born biologically male, and ever had sex with another man were recruited. Banner ads on a social media platform invited MSM to apply for up to five kits per three-month period. Consenting applicants completed a baseline online survey, agreed to be contacted for a follow-up survey in three months, and provided shipping information for delivery of the test kit(s). Test kits could be mailed to the applicant under a pseudonym. They also provided a deposit of USD14.7/kit that was refundable upon receiving a photograph of a completed test via an online submission system. They were encouraged to not only use the kits for self-testing but also to distribute the remainder to partners or friends (referred to as “alters”). A short online survey was also administered for alters when they sent in their photographic evidence of a completed test.
Results: Between June and December 2018, 427 men successfully applied for 759 kits (meanage=29.0, SD=7.1) . By December 2018, 586 valid results were returned. Among them, 434 tests(74.1%) were from 340 index men (93 indexes tested more than once), and 152 tests(25.9%) were from 137 alters (16 alters tested more than once). Compared to index MSM, a higher rate of alters never tested for HIV (40.8% VS. 20.4%, P< 0.001). In total, 12 individuals were found to be HIV positive, with the rate being significantly higher in alters than among indexes (8.0% VS.0.3%, P< 0.001).
Conclusions: Integrating social media with secondary distribution of HIVST kits may hold promise to increase HIV testing coverage and case identification among MSM.