TY  - JOUR
AU  - De Boni, Raquel Brandini
AU  - Veloso, Valdilea Gonçalves
AU  - Fernandes, Nilo Martinez
AU  - Lessa, Flavia
AU  - Corrêa, Renato Girade
AU  - Lima, Renato De Souza
AU  - Cruz, Marly
AU  - Oliveira, Juliane
AU  - Nogueira, Simone Muniz
AU  - de Jesus, Beto
AU  - Reis, Toni
AU  - Lentini, Nena
AU  - Miranda, Raquel Lima
AU  - Bingham, Trista
AU  - Johnson, Cheryl C
AU  - Barbosa Junior, Aristides
AU  - Grinsztejn, Beatriz
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2019/08/01
TI  - An Internet-Based HIV Self-Testing Program to Increase HIV Testing Uptake Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Brazil: Descriptive Cross-Sectional Analysis
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e14145
VL  - 21
IS  - 8
KW  - HIV/AIDS
KW  - HIV self-testing
KW  - key populations
KW  - mobile health
KW  - men
AB  - Background: Approximately 30% of people living with HIV worldwide are estimated to be unaware of their infection. HIV self-testing (HIVST) is a strategy recommended by the World Health Organization to increase access to and uptake of testing among key populations who are at high risk for HIV infection. Objective: This study aimed to describe the development and feasibility of a free, anonymous, internet-based HIVST strategy designed for men who have sex with men in Curitiba, Brazil (electronic testing [e-testing]). Methods: The project was developed under the scope of the “A Hora é Agora” (The Time is Now) program. Individuals aiming to request an HIVST package (two tests each) answered an anonymous 5-minute questionnaire regarding inclusion criteria and sexual risk behavior. Eligible individuals could receive one package every 6 months for free. Website analytics, response to online questionnaires, package distribution, and return of test results were monitored via a platform-integrated system. Results: Between February 2015 and January 2016, the website documented 17,786 unique visitors and 3218 completed online questionnaires. Most individuals self-reported being white (77.0%), young (median age: 25 years, interquartile range: 22-31 years), educated (87.3% completed secondary education or more), and previously tested for HIV (62.5%). Overall, 2526 HIVST packages were delivered; of those, 542 (21.4%) reported a result online or by mail (23 reactive and 11 invalid). During the study period, 37 individuals who reported using e-testing visited the prespecified health facility for confirmatory testing (30 positive, 7 negative). Conclusions: E-testing proved highly feasible and acceptable in this study, thus supporting scale-up to additional centers for men who have sex with men in Brazil. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - https://www.jmir.org/2019/8/e14145/
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/14145
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31373276
DO  - 10.2196/14145
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/14145
ER  -