Leveraging Chatbot to Improve PrEP in the Southern United States

Leveraging Chatbot Technology to Improve PrEP Awareness and Uptake Among Black MSM in the Southern United States

The purpose of this study is to develop a chatbot intervention to promote PrEP awareness and uptake among Black men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Southern United States.

In the United States (US), the epicenter of the HIV epidemic is in the South. The HIV-related death rate in the US South is high, but engagement with quality HIV prevention services and care is low. Although only 38% of the US population lives in the South, the region accounts for 51% of new HIV infections. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) account for 60% of new infections among African Americans in the South. Black MSM are one of the most vulnerable groups to HIV transmission in the US. HIV testing and PrEP uptake in Black MSM, however, remain low (10%) due to multiple factors including stigma, sexual-orientation based discrimination and low PrEP awareness among Black MSM. Innovative strategies that motivate and provide guidance for PrEP among Black MSM in the US South are therefore urgently needed. Chatbot technology should be tested and implemented to help improve PrEP awareness and uptake in the US South. In this project, the investigators aim to develop and pilot test to assess the acceptability and feasibility of a chatbot for PrEP awareness and uptake relative to treatment as usual (control).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being cisgender Black male
• Being aged ≥ 18 years
• Having Internet access
• Speaking English
• Self-reporting condomless sex with another man in the past 6 months
• HIV negative or untested.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Having lived in the US South less than 3 months
• Having received antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment.