Testing interventions for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young men who have sex with men

Key take-home messages

• In Canada in 2018, 63% of all HIV diagnoses among youth were attributed to gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men; similarly, in the U.S. in 2018, 92% of HIV diagnoses among youth were attributed to male-to-male contact.
• In general, testing uptake for HIV and STIs is low among young men who have sex with men.
• Several studies found that healthcare providers may play an important role in HIV test uptake among young men who have sex with men.
• Mpowerment and Keep It Up! 2.0, two interventions identified in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Compendium of Evidence-Based Interventions and Best Practices for HIV Prevention, are intended to increase testing among young men who have sex with men.
• Some interventions, such as All About Me and Get Connected!, tailor HIV testing options from baseline data by using a computer algorithm that takes into consideration individual characteristics relevant to participants’ behaviours through an assessment and deploys these algorithms to generate intervention messages relevant to the specific needs of each user.
• Other interventions described in the literature include a peer-based component to increase HIV testing among young men who have sex with men.

• Population(s)
  • Men who have sex with men
• Prevention
  • Biomedical interventions
• Testing
  • Testing
• Co-infections
  • Hepatitis B, C
  • Chlamydia
  • Gonorrhea
  • Syphilis