A Randomized Control Trial for Evaluating Efficacies of Two Online Cognitive Interventions With and Without Fear-Appeal Imagery Approaches in Preventing Unprotected Anal Sex Among Chinese Men Who Have Sex with Men

Joseph T.F. Lau*, Annisa L. Lee, Wai S. Tse, Phoenix K.H. Mo, Francois Fong, Zixin Wang, Linda D. Cameron, Vivian C SHEER

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Fear appeal approach has been used in health promotion, but its effectiveness has been mixed. It has not been well applied to HIV prevention among men who have sex with men (MSM). The present study developed and evaluated the relative efficacy of three online interventions (SC: STD-related cognitive approach, SCFI: STD-related cognitive plus fear appeal imagery approach, Control: HIV-related information based approach) in reducing prevalence of unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) among 396 MSM using a randomized controlled trial design. Participants’ levels of fear-related emotions immediately after watching the assigned intervention materials were also assessed. Participants were evaluated at baseline and 3 months after the intervention. Results showed that participants in the SCFI scored significantly higher in the instrument assessing fear after the watching the intervention materials. However, no statistically significant differences were found across the three groups in terms of UAI at Month 3. Some significant within-group reductions in some measures of UAI were found in three groups. Further studies are warranted to test the role of fear appeal in HIV prevention.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1851-1862
Number of pages12
JournalAIDS and Behavior
Volume20
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2016

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Infectious Diseases

User-Defined Keywords

  • Condom use
  • Fear appeal
  • HIV
  • Men who have sex with men
  • Unprotected sexual intercourse

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