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.
Keywords: HIV self-testing; HIV/AIDS; key populations; men; mobile health.
©Raquel Brandini De Boni, Valdilea Gonçalves Veloso, Nilo Martinez Fernandes, Flavia Lessa, Renato Girade Corrêa, Renato De Souza Lima, Marly Cruz, Juliane Oliveira, Simone Muniz Nogueira, Beto de Jesus, Toni Reis, Nena Lentini, Raquel Lima Miranda, Trista Bingham, Cheryl C Johnson, Aristides Barbosa Junior, Beatriz Grinsztejn. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 01.08.2019.