The Impact of a Social Marketing Campaign on HIV and Sexually Transmissible Infection Testing Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Australia

Sex Transm Dis. 2016 Jan;43(1):49-56. doi: 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000000380.

Abstract

Background: In response to increasing HIV and other sexually transmissible infection (HIV/STI) notifications in Australia, a social marketing campaign Drama Downunder (DDU) was launched in 2008 to promote HIV/STI testing among men who have sex with men (MSM). We analyzed prospective data from (1) an online cohort of MSM and (2) clinic-level HIV/STI testing to evaluate the impact of DDU on HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing.

Materials and methods: (1) Cohort participants who completed 3 surveys (2010-2014) contributed to a Poisson regression model examining predictors of recent HIV testing.(2) HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia tests among MSM attending high caseload primary care clinics (2007-2013) were included in an interrupted time series analysis.

Results: (1) Although campaign awareness was high among 242 MSM completing 726 prospective surveys, campaign recall was not associated with self-reported HIV testing. Reporting previous regular HIV testing (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 2.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-4.4) and more than 10 partners in the previous 6 months (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 1.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-1.4) was associated with recent HIV testing. (2) Analysis of 257,023 tests showed increasing monthly HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia tests pre-DDU. Post-DDU, gonorrhea test rates increased significantly among HIV-negative MSM, with modest and nonsignificant increasing rates of HIV, syphilis, and chlamydia testing. Among HIV-positive MSM, no change in gonorrhea or chlamydia testing occurred and syphilis testing declined significantly.

Conclusions: Increasing HIV/STI testing trends among MSM occurred pre- and post-DDU, coinciding with other plausible drivers of testing. Modest changes in HIV testing post-DDU suggest that structural changes to improve testing access may need to occur alongside health promotion to increase testing frequency.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Australia / epidemiology
  • Gonorrhea / diagnosis
  • Gonorrhea / epidemiology
  • Gonorrhea / prevention & control*
  • HIV Infections / diagnosis
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology
  • HIV Infections / prevention & control*
  • Health Promotion
  • Homosexuality, Male
  • Humans
  • Interrupted Time Series Analysis
  • Male
  • Prevalence
  • Prospective Studies
  • Sexual Partners
  • Sexually Transmitted Diseases / diagnosis
  • Sexually Transmitted Diseases / epidemiology
  • Sexually Transmitted Diseases / prevention & control*
  • Social Marketing
  • Syphilis / diagnosis
  • Syphilis / epidemiology
  • Syphilis / prevention & control*