Black gay men dating apps response study

Age was categorized as , , and years. Sexual partners in past 6 months included men, women, transgender women, or transgender men. Current student status was categorized as full-time or part-time. Number of places lived in past 2 years was categorized 1, 2, and 3 or more. Vehicle ownership was coded as yes, no, or unknown. Participants reported their HIV status as negative, positive, or unknown. Of the 75 participants who enrolled in the study 25 per site , 3 did not complete the study. One participant was arrested during the 2-week GPS protocol and spent time in jail; one participant was in a car accident and although the accident was not fatal, the participant withdrew from the study; and one participant withdrew from the study because of his demanding work schedule.

We excluded 3 participants who did not respond to the question regarding the use of GSN apps. Using GPS data, we calculated means and standard errors SE of the activity spaces ie, m, m, m, and m buffer sizes. For the largest buffer size m of the total activity spaces, we categorized data into quartiles based on the distribution of values.

Descriptive statistics are presented as mean standard deviation [SD] , range, and interquartile range IQR for continuous variables and sample size n with percentage for categorical variables. To compare between data obtained at midpoint and on completion, we combined these data. Five participants who reported not using GSN apps in the past 7 days at the midpoint visit reported using apps at the completion visit. Thus, a total of 32 participants were included in the analyses.

All statistical analyses were conducted with Stata version Multiple response categories are not mutually exclusive. Messaging behaviors across three time periods among app-using men who have sex with men. Approximately two-thirds of participants identified as homosexual: The majority of app users reported attraction to males: Overall, there were no significant sociodemographic differences between app users and nonusers, except for sexual attraction.

The activity space size of app users was usually larger than nonusers. Among app users, the overall average activity space m buffer was Among nonusers, the overall average activity space was Nearly three-quarters of the sample reported using Instagram and Snapchat apps. The number of GSN apps used varied among the sample, with values ranging from Table 3 shows app use across the three study time points. The mean age at initiation of app s use was Among 53 participants at baseline, an average of 8.

Table 4 shows the sexual behaviors that participants engaged in with app-met partners. At baseline, participants had 1. According to the data collected at the midpoint, the range of male partners from who they engaged in anal sex as the Top were ; participants reported from at the completion visit. At baseline, respondents had 0. Sex behaviors with app-met partners across three time periods among app-using men who have sex with men. Table 5 shows the characteristics of app-met partners.

The vast majority of participants reported meeting black partners across all three time points. App-met partner characteristics across three time periods among app-using men who have sex with men. Therefore, our study is an important contribution to the literature. The mean age at initiation of app use was Interestingly, less than half of app users reported being in a committed relationship.

The majority of the baseline sample reported meeting partners approximately the same age or slightly older than themselves. This is significant because age discordance, particularly meeting older partners, is associated with increased HIV risk [ 25 , 38 - 40 ]. Over two-thirds of participants at the enrollment visit reported that the HIV status of their app-met partners was negative.

Almost one-third of participants did not know the status of their partner. Interestingly, in terms of the body content appearing on the profile pictures, most participants over two-thirds displayed their face. Compared to nonusers, a majority of app users reported attraction to males. This is especially important in the context of the low number of reported sexual partners, which is consistent with the BMSM paradox and previous research showing few sexual partners among BMSM [ 25 ].

In that study, MSM participants had current accounts on 3. Each day, men reported opening these mobile apps 8. Further research can contribute to a better understanding of the role of GSN apps in the sexual lives of YBMSM and the way that app use behaviors may contribute to the increased risk of HIV infection among this population. Future research among YBMSM in the Deep South should be conducted through population-based samples and larger samples to further understand the prevalence and common patterns of GSN app use.

Given that YBMSM who use GSN apps represent a diverse population in terms of their motivations and patterns of use as well as their sexual behaviors with app-met partners, future research should apply novel techniques, such as latent class analysis [ 42 , 43 ] to further understand the associations of various GSN app use profiles with risk for HIV infection.

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Latent class analysis is a useful tool to explore conditional probabilities of co-occurring behaviors within distinct classes and has been used to identify sexual risk profiles among black MSM [ 44 ]. Additionally, future investigations should include longitudinal designs to understand potential changes in GSN app use and associated changes in sexual risks, since GSN app use could be contextual and change as individual life circumstances change eg, changes in partner type.

Other research has found that sexual risks among BMSM vary with differing life phases and contexts of sexual relationships [ 45 ]. Future research should assess the HIV status that participants include in their app profile s and should also examine homophily in partner selection, such as HIV status homophily, as this may drive partner selections. GPS tracking could also illuminate how geography plays a role in transitioning user interactions from virtual app-based conversations to physical meetings for sexual encounters.

It would also be helpful to know what influences certain patterns of app use and whether these influences differ from those in other geographic regions. This is especially important in the Deep South given its high rates of HIV infection; perhaps in this region there are specific geographical features that increase risk of HIV acquisition.

Furthermore, as previously mentioned, it would be helpful to know what app use behaviors leads to certain health behaviors including sexual health behaviors as well as how app-based interventions could modify these behaviors. Subsequently, the sample may be subject to selection bias and therefore may not be representative of the wider population of BMSM in the Deep South. However, our study presents a strength over previous app-based research with MSM, which has traditionally been limited to white participants in a single geographic region, often recruited from apps.

More importantly, our study prompts future research into GSN app use among this subpopulation and highlights the need for more focused prevention efforts. Additionally, given the small sample size, we might not be adequately powered to compare participants who use GSN apps to those who do not.

All data were collected via self-report, introducing potential for social desirability bias ie, underreporting instances of CAI and recall bias. In addition, we assessed behaviors using different time periods across the three waves of data collection, making comparison across waves difficult. While behaviors may differ depending on the app and many participants reported using multiple apps, we did not analyze behaviors by individual apps. Further research should characterize the association between GSN app use and engagement in sexual behaviors that increase risk for HIV acquisition and transmission.

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It should be noted that GSN apps themselves present important platforms for such interventions. Finally, we thank the participants of the study who contributed to the project, and Hayden Mountcastle and Sophia Zweig for helping finalize this manuscript. Conflicts of Interest: None declared. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Published online Jun Reviewed by Gregory Phillips and Christine Khosropour.

Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Corresponding author. Corresponding Author: Dustin T Duncan gro. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License https: The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on http: Abstract Background Understanding where and how young black men who have sex with men YBMSM in the southern United States meet their sexual partners is germane to understanding the underlying factors contributing to the ongoing HIV transmission in this community.

Objective Our aim was to examine the characteristics, preferences, and behaviors of a geographically diverse sample of geosocial networking app-using YBMSM in the southern United States. Conclusions Use of geosocial networking apps to meet sexual partners among our sample of YBMSM in the southern United States was common, with a diverse range of app use behaviors being reported. HIV prevention, black MSM, dating apps, homosexuality, male, men who have sex with men, mobile apps, mobile phones.

Introduction While overall HIV incidence in the United States has declined over the past several years [ 1 ], this progress has not been shared equally among all demographic subgroups or geographic regions. Sociodemographic Variables Sociodemographic data collected at the enrollment visit were analyzed.

Results Statistical Analysis Of the 75 participants who enrolled in the study 25 per site , 3 did not complete the study.