Impact of Social Media Use on HIV Testing and Related Mediator among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Shandong Province, China

Abstract

In China, HIV testing is the important first step of HIV prevention and treatment cascades but is not widely adopted by men who have sex with men (MSM). However, social media has been increasingly used to promote and improve HIV testing. This study aimed to assess the impact of social media use on HIV testing and explore the mediator in the relationship between social media and HIV testing. The authors conducted a cross-sectional study among 935 MSM participants in 11 cities in Shandong Province from 14 September to 6 December 2020. Multivariable regression was conducted to assess the relationship between social media use and HIV testing uptake, and mediation analysis was used to assess the mediation effect of HIV testing self-efficacy in the relationship between social media use and HIV testing. The present study findings showed that social media use was related to HIV testing (aOR = 3.024, 95% CI: 1.869, 4.892) and HIV self-testing uptake (aOR = 1.894, 95% CI: 1.228, 2.922), but was not related to HIV facility-based testing (aOR = 1.709, 95% CI: 0.806, 3.625, p = 0.162). A mediation effect of HIV testing self-efficacy was found between social media use and HIV testing (indirect effect: 0.13, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.29), facility-based testing (indirect effect: 0.05, 95% CI: 0.003, 0.16), and self-testing uptake (indirect effect: 0.07, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.16). Social media could be an effective tool to improve HIV testing, and healthcare providers should pay more attention to HIV testing self-efficacy in HIV testing promotion.