MedPath

Crowdsourcing A Public Health Campaign

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
HIV
Interventions
Behavioral: Crowdsourced intervention
Behavioral: Traditional intervention campaign
Registration Number
NCT02796963
Lead Sponsor
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Brief Summary

The purpose of this stepped wedge randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of a crowdsourced intervention on promoting HIV testing among young Chinese men who have sex with men (MSM). The crowdsourced intervention will include an open contest, judging to determine finalists and prizes, a designathon, and contest-based MSM engagement. The hypothesis is that a crowdsourced intervention will be superior to conventional HIV test uptake campaigns in eliciting HIV test uptake.

Detailed Description

This study will use an adaptation of the stepped wedge randomized controlled trial design. A total of eight major metropolitan cities will implement the crowdsourced intervention. These cities will be chosen based on the following criteria: 1) previous Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) MSM sentinel surveillance site; 2) capacity for campaign implementation; 3) capacity for intervention implementation at the community level. Four cities will implement more intensive in-person events to promote engagement (Guangzhou, Shenzhen in Guangdong Province, Qingdao, and Jinan in Shandong Province) during survey intervention stage. The Randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be evaluated using two different sources of data: 1) online survey data from MSM in the eight cities prior to and after the intervention; 2) CDC routine surveillance data in the eight cities prior to and after the intervention.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
Male
Target Recruitment
1381
Inclusion Criteria
  • Currently living and planning to live in one of the eight cities used in the study in the next 12 months.
  • Not living with HIV
  • No HIV test in the past three months
  • Born biologically male and identify as either male or transgender female
  • Had anal or oral sex with men at least once during their lifetime
  • 16 years or older
  • Willing to provide cell phone number
  • Complete the informed consent document
Exclusion Criteria
  • Women are excluded from this study

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
SINGLE_GROUP
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Immediate InterventionCrowdsourced interventionMen will be exposed immediately to a comprehensive intervention promoting HIV testing.
Delayed InterventionTraditional intervention campaignMen will be exposed to a comprehensive intervention promoting HIV testing after a delay period.
Delayed InterventionCrowdsourced interventionMen will be exposed to a comprehensive intervention promoting HIV testing after a delay period.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Number of Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) Reporting HIV Testing in the Past Three MonthsFrom implementation roll-out to three months after implementation of crowdsourced intervention

This will be assessed by self-report during a follow-up survey

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in HIV Testing Self-efficacyFrom implementation roll-out to three months after implementation of crowdsourced intervention

Number of men who report higher levels of self-efficacy when comparing their pre-intervention and post-intervention HIV testing norms

Community Engagement/ MSM Community AffiliationFrom implementation roll-out to three months after implementation of crowdsourced intervention

Number of men, defined as an increase in closer affiliation with the MSM community (i.e., tongzhi circle, gay online networks or groups) when comparing their pre-intervention and post-intervention periods.

Number of Men Reporting Condomless Sex at 3 Months Post-interventionFrom implementation roll-out to three months after implementation of crowdsourced intervention
Number of Men Reporting Being Self-tested for HIV in the Last 3 Months Post-interventionFrom implementation roll-out to three months after implementation of crowdsourced intervention
Number of Men Reporting Being Tested for Syphilis in the Last 3 Months Post-interventionFrom implementation roll-out to three months after implementation of crowdsourced intervention
Number of Men Reporting Using Weibo in the Past Three Months Post-intervention to Give or Receive Information About HIV TestingFrom implementation roll-out to three months after implementation of crowdsourced intervention
Number of Men Reporting Using Wechat in the Past Three Months Post-intervention to Give or Receive Information About HIV TestingFrom implementation roll-out to three months after implementation of crowdsourced intervention
Number of Men Reporting Received HIV Self-testing Kits in the Last 3 Months Post-interventionFrom implementation roll-out to three months after implementation of crowdsourced intervention
HIV Testing Social NormsFrom implementation roll-out to three months after implementation of crowdsourced intervention

HIV testing social norms will be measured using six survey items that are each on a five-point Likert scale. Increased HIV testing social norms will be defined as having an increase from baseline in any two of these six survey items and dichotomized accordingly. Number of men who report higher score of social norms when comparing their pre-intervention and post-intervention values

Number of Men Reporting Engaged in HIV Testing Community Campaign in the Past 3 MonthsFrom implementation roll-out to three months after implementation of crowdsourced intervention
Mean Score of Anticipated HIV StigmaFrom implementation roll-out to three months after implementation of crowdsourced intervention

Measured by a 7-item version of the anticipated HIV stigma scale, designed to measure the extent to which participants anticipated negative intrapersonal and interpersonal consequences were they to contract HIV in the future. All seven items were rated on a Likert-type scale (1=Strongly Disagree; 4=Strongly Agree). The mean score is reported, ranged from 1 to 4. Higher values indicate greater anticipated stigma.

Number of Men Reporting Using Tencent QQ (QQ) in the Past Three Months Post-intervention to Give or Receive Information About HIV TestingFrom implementation roll-out to three months after implementation of crowdsourced intervention
Number of Men Reporting Using Mobile Apps in the Past Three Months Post-intervention to Give or Receive Information About HIV TestingFrom implementation roll-out to three months after implementation of crowdsourced intervention

Frequency of men, defined as the number of men who reported using mobile apps in the past three months to give or receive information about HIV testing comparing their pre-intervention and post-intervention engagement

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath