Utilization of Social Media for the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Kusman Ibrahim,1 Erin M Kahle,2 Yodi Christiani,3 Suryani Suryani4 1Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, USA; Department of Medical and Surgical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, Indonesia; 2Department of Health Behavior and Biological Science, School of Nursing, and Center for Sexuality and Health Disparities, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; 3CREDOS Institute, Jakarta, Indonesia; 4Department of Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Padjadjaran, Sumedang, IndonesiaCorrespondence: Kusman Ibrahim, Email [email protected]: Social media has been used widely in public health for understanding health risks and intervening to improve health. However, the utilization of social media for HIV prevention and control interventions has not been clearly characterized. We conducted a scoping review on the utilization of social media for HIV prevention and control to identify gaps in the literature and highlight opportunities for future research and intervention. A comprehensive search of seven databases was performed: PubMed, Embase, CINAHL Complete (EBSCO), PsycInfo (EBSCO), Scopus, and WOS (Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED). The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) was used as a framework. A total of 790 articles were screened at the title and abstract level, and 78 were screened at the full-text level. Twenty-three articles met the eligibility criteria for review. We found that Facebook was still the most common social media service used to reach target populations. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals were the primary groups and were the most common targets of social media-based HIV prevention interventions. Outcomes of social media-based interventions, such as increased HIV testing, social networking and social support, condom use attitudes, behavioral skills, and research participation, were reported. Most social media-based interventions have emphasized HIV prevention, with fewer interventions focused on improving linkage to care and adherence to treatment among people living with HIV. Future studies may benefit from using social media for interventions to improve HIV-related outcomes in high-risk populations. This review highlights the potential and challenges of social media approaches for HIV/AIDS prevention and control.Keywords: AIDS, HIV, prevention and control, social media

Keywords

• aids
• hiv
• prevention and control
• social media