Willingness to use the Internet to seek information on HIV prevention and care among men who have sex with men in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In Vietnam, men who have sex with men (MSM) are highly affected by HIV and need new targeted HIV prevention strategies. OBJECTIVES: To assess the willingness to use the Internet to seek information on HIV prevention and care and associated factors among MSM in Ho Chi Minh City. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2012. Participants were recruited using a convenience sampling method in venues most frequented by MSM and completed a self-administered questionnaire. Logistic regression models were performed to estimate factors associated with the willingness to use the Internet to seek information on HIV prevention and care. RESULTS: A total of 358 MSM were approached for the survey and 222 questionnaires (62.0%) were eligible for analyses. Overall, 76.1% of the respondents reported that they were willing to use the Internet to seek information on HIV prevention and care. A number of male partners in last year less than or equal to 3 (Adjusted Odds Ratio: 3.07, 95% Confidence interval: 1.40-6.73), a history of STI screening (4.10, 1.02-16.48) and HIV testing (3.23, 1.20-8.64) and having ever sought a male sexual partner through the Internet (3.56, 1.55-8.18) were significantly positively associated with the willingness to use the Internet to seek information on HIV prevention and care. CONCLUSION: The MSM interviewed in Ho Chi Minh City reported a high willingness to use the Internet to seek information on HIV prevention and care. In a context where new media are increasingly considered as promising options for reaching this HIV risk group, further research should be conducted on developing and testing tailored online tools adapted to the needs of Vietnamese MSM.