Background: Latinx sexual minority men experience the greatest human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) burden in the United States. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is the most effective HIV prevention tool available, however, PrEP uptake remains low among this group. Methods: This two-arm pilot randomized controlled trial study aimed to assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of delivering an online culturally targeted video intervention that aims to increase PrEP uptake intentions among Latinx sexual minority men. The intervention group received a culturally targeted video that contained the same PrEP information as the control group and incorporated positive aspects of Latinx masculinity (i.e., caballerismo). Participants were recruited through Amazon's MTurk crowd-sourcing platform. A total of twenty-five participants met the study inclusion criteria (N = 25). Results: The control group had a higher mean PrEP intentions score (M: 3.3, 95% CI: 2.7–3.9) when compared with the intervention group. A moderate, negative, linear correlation was observed between machismo and PrEP intention scores (r = −.34). In contrast, a small, positive correlation was found between caballerismo and PrEP intentions (r = .19). Conclusions: While the culturally targeted video intervention did not increase PrEP use intentions, the study highlights the importance of understanding and addressing cultural factors such as Latin masculinity.
ArciniegaG. M.AndersonT. C.Tovar-BlankZ. G.TraceyT. J. G. (2008). Toward a fuller conception of machismo: Development of a traditional machismo and caballerismo scale. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 55(1), 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.55.1.19
4.
BarrerasJ. L.LinnemayrS. L.MacCarthyS. (2019). We have a stronger survival mode”: Exploring knowledge gaps and culturally sensitive messaging of PrEP among Latino men who have sex with men and Latina transgender women in Los Angeles, CA. AIDS Care, 31(10), 1221–1227. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2019.1601669
5.
BlashillA. J.BradyJ. P.RooneyB. M.Rodriguez-DiazC. E.HorvathK. J.BlumenthalJ.MorrisS.MooreD. J.SafrenS.A. (2020). Syndemics and the PrEP Cascade: Results from a Sample of Young Latino Men Who Have Sex with Men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49(1), 125–135. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-019-01470-7
6.
BonacciR. A.SmithD. K.OjikutuB. O. (2021). Toward greater pre-exposure prophylaxis equity: Increasing provision and uptake for Black and Hispanic/Latino individuals in the U.S. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 61(5, Supplement 1), S60–S72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2021.05.027
7.
BorrayoE. A. (2004). Where’s Maria? A video to increase awareness about breast cancer and mammography screening among low-literacy Latinas. Preventive Medicine, 39(1), 99–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2004.03.024
8.
BradyJ. P.KimballD.MendenhallB.BlashillA. J. (2019). Machismo and anabolic steroid misuse among young Latino sexual minority men. Body Image, 30, 165–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2019.07.007
9.
BrooksR. A.NietoO.LandrianA.DonohoeT. J. (2019). Persistent stigmatizing and negative perceptions of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) users: Implications for PrEP adoption among Latino men who have sex with men. AIDS Care, 31(4), 427–435. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2018.1499864
10.
BuhrmesterM. D.TalaifarS.GoslingS. D. (2018). An evaluation of Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, its rapid rise, and its effective use. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(2), 149–154. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617706516
De SantisJ. P.Gonzalez-GuardaR.Provencio-VasquezE.DeleonD. A. (2014). The tangled branches (Las ramas enredadas): Sexual risk, substance abuse, and intimate partner violence among Hispanic men who have sex with men. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 25(1), 23–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659613504110
13.
EldridgeS. M.ChanC. L.CampbellM. J.BondC. M.HopewellS.ThabaneL.LancasterG. A. (2016). CONSORT 2010 Statement: Extension to randomised pilot and feasibility trials. The BMJ, 355, i5239. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i5239
14.
FujimotoK.WangP.FlashC. A.KuhnsL. M.ZhaoY.AmithM.SchneiderJ. A. (2019). Network Modeling of PrEP Uptake on Referral Networks and Health Venue Utilization Among Young Men Who Have Sex with Men. AIDS and Behavior, 23(7), 1698–1707. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-018-2327-7
GarciaM.SawG. (2019). Socioeconomic disparities associated with awareness, access, and usage of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis among Latino MSM ages 21–30 in San Antonio, TX. Journal of HIV/AIDS & Social Services, 18(2), 206–211. http://doi.org/10.1080/15381501.2019.1607795
17.
GlanzK.RimerB. K.ViswanathK. (Eds.). (2015). Health behavior: Theory, research, and practice (5th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
18.
HarknessA.LozanoA.BainterS.MayoD.Hernandez AltamiranoD.RogersB. G.PradoG.SafrenS. A. (2023). Engaging Latino sexual minority men in PrEP and behavioral health care: multilevel barriers, facilitators, and potential implementation strategies. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 46(4), 655–667. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-022-00371-w
19.
HarknessA.SatyanarayanaS.MayoD.Smith-AlvarezR.RogersB. G.PradoG.SafrenS. A. (2021). Scaling up and out HIV prevention and behavioral health services to Latino sexual minority men in South Florida: Multi-level implementation barriers, facilitators, and strategies. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 35(5), 167–179. https://doi.org/10.1089/apc.2021.0018
20.
HertzogM. A. (2008). Considerations in determining sample size for pilot studies. Research in Nursing & Health, 31(2), 180–191. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20247
21.
HuangY. A.ZhuW.SmithD. K.HarrisN.HooverK. W. (2018). HIV Preexposure prophylaxis, by race and ethnicity—United States, 2014–2016. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 67(41), 1147–1150. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6741a3
22.
Hurtado-de-MendozaA.GravesK. D.Gómez-TrillosS.CarreraP.CamposC.AndersonL.LutaG.PeshkinB. N.SchwartzM. D.CupertinoA.-P.GonzalezN.SheppardV. B. (2019). Culturally targeted video improves psychosocial outcomes in Latina women at risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(23), 4793. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16234793
23.
KannyD. (2019). Racial/Ethnic disparities in HIV preexposure prophylaxis among men who have sex with men—23 urban areas, 2017. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 68. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6837a2
MurchuE. O.MarshallL.TeljeurC.HarringtonP.HayesC.MoranP.RyanM. (2022). Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical effectiveness, safety, adherence, and risk compensation in all populations. BMJ Open, 12(5), e048478. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-048478
OkwunduC. I.UthmanO. A.OkoromahC. A. (2012). Antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for preventing HIV in high-risk individuals. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 7, CD007189. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007189.pub3
28.
PandeyA.PatniN.SinghM.SoodA.SinghG. (2010). YouTube As a source of information on the H1N1 influenza pandemic. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 38(3), e1–e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2009.11.007
29.
PerrotteJ. K.BibriescasN.WainwrightK.GarzaR. T.BaumannM. R. (2018). A bidimensional examination of machismo in relation to risky sexual cognitions and behavior among Latino college men. Journal of American College Health: J of ACH, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2018.1538152
30.
RiveraD. B.BradyJ. P.BlashillA. J. (2020). Traditional machismo, caballerismo, and the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) cascade among a sample of Latino sexual minority men. The Journal of Sex Research, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2020.1743961
31.
RivisA.SheeranP. (2003). Descriptive norms as an additional predictor in the theory of planned behaviour: A meta-analysis. Current Psychology, 22(3), 218–233. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-003-1018-2
32.
SAS Institute Inc. (2015). Statistical analysis software 9.4 (Version 5th) [Computer software].
33.
TeresiJ. A.YuX.StewartA. L.HaysR. D. (2022). Guidelines for designing and evaluating feasibility pilot studies. Medical Care, 60(1), 95–103. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000001664
34.
WalshJ. L. (2019). Applying the information–motivation–behavioral skills model to understand PrEP intentions and use among men who have sex with men. AIDS and Behavior, 23(7), 1904–1916. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-018-2371-3
35.
WaltersK.ChristakisD. A.WrightD. R. (2018). Are Mechanical Turk worker samples representative of health status and health behaviors in the U.S. PLoS ONE, 13(6). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0198835
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
