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Open Access 09-05-2024 | Human Immunodeficiency Virus | Original Paper

Increases in Awareness and Uptake of Dating Apps’ Sexual Health Features Among US Men Who Have Sex with Men, 2018 to 2021

Authors: Jennifer Hecht, Maria Zlotorzynska, Dan Wohlfeiler, Travis H. Sanchez

Published in: AIDS and Behavior | Issue 9/2024

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Abstract

Dating apps are now used by the majority of MSM to meet sexual and romantic partners. While research has demonstrated an association between app use and greater number of sex partners and STIs, dating apps also pose an opportunity for intervention. By advocating for new and improved sexual health features on dating apps, Building Healthy Online Communities (BHOC) aims to increase communication about sexual health on the apps. As a follow-up to our previous paper assessing the uptake of sexual health-related profile options on dating apps through Emory’s annual survey of 10,000 MSM in the US, BHOC and Emory partnered to explore the change in uptake over time, again through their annual survey. Among survey participants in 2021, 85% reported using dating apps to meet a partner in the past year, and among this group, 93% reported awareness of sexual health features, up from 77% in 2018 (p < 0.0001). 71% of app users who were aware of features in 2021 reported using one or more sexual health feature, up from 61% in 2018 (p < 0.0001). BHOC will continue to advocate for increased uptake of these features, especially among subgroups with lower levels of uptake.
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Metadata
Title
Increases in Awareness and Uptake of Dating Apps’ Sexual Health Features Among US Men Who Have Sex with Men, 2018 to 2021
Authors
Jennifer Hecht
Maria Zlotorzynska
Dan Wohlfeiler
Travis H. Sanchez
Publication date
09-05-2024
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
AIDS and Behavior / Issue 9/2024
Print ISSN: 1090-7165
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3254
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-024-04349-4

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