Video Games and Social Media Marketing May Help Avoid HIV in At-Risk Gay Guys

Long afterwards the peak of the American

HELPS

situation,

HIV

continues to be a problem among gay men, who happen to be clinically determined to have the condition at a consistent level “more than 40 instances compared to females and more than 44 times compared to various other men,” as a
previous report
in

Journal of Health Online Analysis

explains. The report, a survey of varied tech-driven tactics to lessen the rate of

HIV

in this at-risk populace, factors toward the next generation of (hopefully) effective


treatments.

You will find several fascinating possibilities planned, because the study’s
pr release explains
:

One entertaining website, Sexpulse, crafted by health care professionals and computer scientists to a target males just who seek intimate associates on the web, successfully decreased high-risk intimate behaviors. Another website, Stick With It! (

KIU

), used games in reducing rates of unprotected anal intercourse. A 3rd initiative, a downloadable computer game, helped mitigate pity experienced by some teenage boys who’ve intercourse with males, although lowering of high-risk intimate behavior wasn’t statistically


considerable.

The task here’s less about

what

information to produce, given that the basics of how

HIV

and

HELPS

work have-been rather well-publicized at this stage, than how to provide it, since just discussing that a behavior is actually harmful is normally perhaps not enough to evolve


it.

It is vital to point out that the does not only apply to homosexual guys; individuals do all kinds of risky actions, from drug abuse to overeating to cigarette smoking to having inactive lifestyles, despite being told they’re unsafe. That is why practical question of the way to get people to make more healthy choices is a huge section of concern for public-health scientists — designing a fruitful behavior input could be an extremely tricky action to take. (we’re going to end up being posting a lengthier, more detailed article about this subject


quickly.)

Several of the most useful techniques smartly target internet sites â€” peer pressure tends to influence united states in manners different appeals typically cannot. This is borne out in the


review:

On social networking sites particularly Facebook and Twitter, popular people can distribute

HIV

-prevention messages for their pals and supporters. The sharing of info about

HIV

evaluating join the dating app via this source on a myspace and facebook appeared to boost needs for

HIV

evaluating packages, one research found. Another learn unearthed that using view frontrunners to disseminate

HIV

-prevention info via social networking sites may increase evaluation prices and bolster condom utilize during anal sex with lovers found


on the web.

It’s a tremendously strange quirk of human being thought that presentation the same old details in a slightly different way may cause far better effects. Luckily for us, specialists are starting to capitalize on


this.