OnPOINT

Young gay, bisexual, queer, and other sexual minoritized men (YSMM) are disproportionately affected by HIV in the U.S. Despite availability of several dosing regimens for biomedical HIV prevention via pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), our team’s newest 2024 data from men-for-men geosocial networking apps and social media indicate fewer than 23% of YSMM 17-24 years old who could benefit were currently taking PrEP. In this study, we iteratively developed a limited interaction, person-centered, and theory-based mHealth intervention to support sexual wellbeing, HIV testing, and PrEP uptake tailored to YSMM who could benefit from PrEP in partnership with a youth advisory board. The “OnPOINT” (Online Prevention Opportunities for Individuals using Nationwide Tips) website optimized for mobile phone use included multimodal content aligned with information-motivation-behavioral skills constructs and an embedded PrEP resource locator. Participants were also provided a free HIV self-testing kit by mail and daily prevention tips with culturally-tailored SMS messages to support engagement over 30 days. After the active phase of the intervention at 1-month follow-up, OnPOINT participants reported satisfactory acceptability, moderate appropriateness, and above average system usability of OnPOINT. PrEP uptake was reported by 16.1% of HIV-negative participants by 3-month follow-up. We are currently applying for extramural funding to test OnPOINT in combination with a peer support intervention to support PrEP uptake in a hybrid type-I effectiveness-implementation trial. Dissemination of pilot findings is ongoing.