Developing Online Recruitment and Retention Methods for HIV Prevention Research Among Adolescent Males Who Are Interested in Sex with Males: Interviews with Adolescent Males

• Published in: Journal of medical Internet research 2017-12, Vol.19 (12), p.e428-e428
• Main Authors: Nelson, Kimberly M, Ramirez, Jaime J, Carey, Michael P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent boys; Advertisements; At risk populations; Compensation; Disease prevention; Email; Gays & lesbians; Health Services Research - methods; HIV; HIV Infections - prevention & control; Homosexuality, Male - statistics & numerical data; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Internet; Interviews as Topic; Male; Males; Mass media; Original Paper; Polls & surveys; Prevention programs; Preventive medicine; Recruitment; Retention; Self esteem; Sex education; Sexual behavior; Social media; Social Media - statistics & numerical data; Soliciting; Stigma; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teenagers
• ISSN: 1438-8871; 1439-4456; 1438-8871
• DOI: 10.2196/jmir.8959

Adolescent males interested in sex with males (AMSM) are an important audience for HIV prevention interventions, but they are difficult to reach due to their age and social stigma. We aim to identify efficient methods to recruit and retain AMSM in online research. Interviews with 14-to-18-year-old AMSM (N=16) were conducted at 2017 Pride events in Boston, MA and Providence, RI. Participants reported that (1) social media platforms are viable recruitment venues; (2) recruitment advertisements should describe the study using colorful/bright pictures, familiar words, and information about compensation; (3) surveys should be