Going new ways to end HIV: reaching men who have sex with men through a community, business, and public health partnership to increase HIV testing in Europe

Abstract

Introduction: Sex between men is the main HIV transmission mode in the EU/EEA. Increasing HIV testing and early diagnosis among men who have sex with men is thus a public health priority to reduce new infections. This requires innovative approaches, tools and interventions to better target HIV testing services. Objective: Examine the impact of a public and private sector collaboration to use smartphone social networking apps for public health outreach during European Testing Weeks 2015, 2016 and 2017 regarding use of the advertised European Test Finder to search for testing sites online and reported uptake of tests following the intervention. Method: Descriptive statistics summarise the access to the European Test Finder during three campaign weeks. Surveys for participating organisations of European Testing Week included questions about the awareness of the campaign and whether clients tested as a result of it. Results: Access to the European Test Finder increased significantly during European Testing Week and the promotion efforts via the apps. A small sample of Testing Week participants responded that they knew the Test Finder and that clients had come for a test following the advertising. Conclusion: Smartphone apps allow targeted communication at large scale with opportunities for HIV prevention among men who have sex with men.