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This study examined the influence of media on stigma and public support for policy interventions that address opioid-related problems. Data from a survey of 997 U.S. adults indicate that media exposure to opioids and relevant topics significantly influenced stigma and support for punitive and public health-oriented policies, even after direct and indirect experiences with opioid misuse were controlled for. However, differences emerged in terms of what led people to endorse each type of policy intervention. When people attributed opioid misuse to individual-oriented causes after media exposure, they were more likely to support punitive policies. When people recognized pharmaceutical-oriented causes, they tended to support public health-related policies. In addition to causal attributions, emotions (fear, anger, and sympathy) served as mediators with different effects on stigma and policy support. Although exposure to opioid-related stories positively influenced all three emotions, media influence was most likely to elicit sympathy, which was negatively associated with social stigma. However, people who felt anger tended to stigmatize individuals with opioid use disorder and not to support either of the policy interventions. The overall findings suggest that communication efforts addressing the opioid situation should find frames that reduce social stigma and encourage support for public health-related policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV remains a serious problem in the U.S. particularly for men who have sex with men. PrEP is an intervention that can dramatically decrease the risk of HIV infection. Because rates of PrEP adoption have been lower than anticipated, researchers have called for new tactics for promoting PrEP. For this reason, we analyzed PrEP messaging on TikTok. In an analysis guided by the Health Belief Model, we found that discussions of PrEP benefits and barriers were most common on TikTok. Severity and susceptibility were least common. We distilled these findings into suggestions for promoting PrEP adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undetectable = Untransmittable (U = U) is the scientific fact that HIV cannot be transmitted when an individual is virally suppressed. This breakthrough discovery has the potential to greatly reduce HIV stigma and its negative effects. However, U = U is not widely known. Given that Twitter has the potential to raise awareness of health issues, the purpose of this study was to analyze the content of the #UequalsU on Twitter. The results showed that mentioning sex and mentioning love were strong predictors that a tweet would be liked and retweeted. This information could help to spread the message of U = U more widely and potentially lessen HIV stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how frequently men who have sex with men (MSM) used a selection of sources, including news media, social media, health organizations, and dating/hookup apps, for HIV information. Additionally, the study explored the extent to which MSM's efficacy beliefs about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and perceptions of condom importance could be predicted by the sources they used. A sample of MSM (N= 969) were surveyed online. Results showed that respondents obtained information about HIV most often from HIV organizations, LGBT organizations, and dating/hookup apps, particularly the apps Growlr, Scruff, and Grindr. Use of the app Scruff was the strongest source-based predictor of beliefs about both PrEP and condoms. Implications for health promotion are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV continues to be serious issue in the U.S., especially for men who have sex with men (MSM). Pre–exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective means of preventing HIV, but its adoption has been slower than expected. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which MSM's perceptions of their healthcare providers' level of communication skill predicted PrEP status. An online survey of 969 MSM was conducted. The results showed that respondents who perceived that their healthcare provider was skilled in information giving, information receiving, and information verifying were more likely to be on PrEP than respondents who perceived their healthcare provider had a lower level of skill in these areas. These findings highlight the importance of providers' communication skill in healthcare, particularly for MSM [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to analyze the frequency of statements about population susceptibility and threat severity of HIV/AIDS. Using a coding scheme derived from the Extended Parallel Process Model, we analyzed 219 articles of World AIDS Day news coverage from 1988 through 2017. Our results show that while susceptibility did change over time, coverage minimized the impact the disease has had on men who have sex with men (MSM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV is a serious problem in the USA, particularly for men who have sex with men (MSM). A new means of HIV prevention, called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), has been shown to be highly effective. However, in spite of earning FDA approval, adoption of PrEP by MSM has been limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of a sample of 38 MSM who have adopted PrEP, focusing on communication with healthcare providers and social networks. In-depth interviews were used to collect data. Findings revealed that stigmatization by healthcare providers as well as stigmatization by other MSM was a relatively common experience for participants. Additionally, participants described that a high level of health literacy, health advocacy, and communication skill were necessary to adopt PrEP. Given these findings, strategies are suggested for improving MSM’s healthcare and increasing rates of PrEP adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study, using the Mary Kay LeTourneau interview on ABC’s 20/20 television program, investigates how social media coupled with citizens’ voices interact with mainstream media in the telling of a story and the construction of collective memory. Grounded in discourse analysis, this research examines the 20/20 story and accompanying Twitter conversations to understand how dominant and feminist ideologies about gender, rape, sexual violence, sexuality, and love are presented and (re)articulated in these texts. In doing so, this study considers how a newly opened public sphere via social media may have the capabilities to influence our collective memories and remove some of this long-held power away from traditional mainstream media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors conducted a content analysis of 1,159 images of male models published on high-traffic gay male-oriented blogs. They focused on a range of body image-related variables, aswell as the race of models. Results showed that most modelswere White and, almost uniformly, models had low levels of body fat. Models' level of muscularity varied significantly by race: Black models had the highest levels of muscularity, Asian models had the lowest levels of muscularity, and White and Latino models had moderate levels of muscularity. Drawing on existing research about race and body image, implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On May 14, 2014 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the drug Truvada as an HIV preventative, called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP has been shown to dramatically reduce the risk of HIV infection, but its rate of adoption has been slow, and discourse surrounding it has been marked by stigma and uncertainty. The purpose of this study was to investigate how PrEP was discussed on Twitter. Our analysis focused on barriers to PrEP adoption and stigmatization of PrEP users. We analyzed a random sample of 1,093 top tweets about PrEP posted to Twitter a year before and a year after the CDC’s endorsement. Our results showed that tweets likely reinforced uncertainty about barriers to PrEP adoption and that users employed Twitter’s functionality to counter stigmatizing narratives about PrEP. We suggest that our findings illuminate both the limitations and strengths of Twitter as a mechanism for health promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV continues to be a serious issue, especially for men who have sex with men (MSM). A new means of HIV prevention, called preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP), significantly reduces the chance of HIV infection. However, adoption of the drug has been slow. In this study, a content analysis of 234 online news articles about PrEP from popular U.S. news Web sites was conducted, focusing on how articles were framed in terms of benefits to PrEP, barriers to PrEP, the severity of HIV, and the susceptibility of MSM to HIV. Results showed that coverage contained conflicting information about PrEP and failed to cast HIV as a serious problem. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines the role of user-generated content in a traditional news organization during the coverage of the Boston marathon bombings. In-depth interviews were conducted with the journalists who made up the interactive team at the Boston Globe. The interactive team was in charge of the live blog during the week-long coverage of the marathon bombings. The study identifies the perceptions journalists hold of user-generated content during crisis reporting and the impact user-generated content had during the tense coverage. The findings suggest that user-generated content has a good way to go before being considered an integral part of breaking news content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to analyze the frequency of incidents of uncertainty in online news articles about Truvada, a drug used to prevent HIV infection. Using a coding scheme that synthesized uncertainty research from health disciplines and communication studies, we analyzed 235 articles from the most-read United States-based news websites. Our results showed that 80.4% of articles contained at least one incident of uncertainty, that articles contained significantly more incidents of uncertainty before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed Truvada compared to after the CDC endorsed the drug, and that articles mentioning men who have sex with men (MSM) contained significantly more incidents of uncertainty than articles in which they were not mentioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores how Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., were portrayed in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Boston Globe. Drawing on concepts of hegemony and racism, a textual analysis was conducted to examine coverage of each man. Through this framing, Malcolm X was labeled as a deviant while Martin Luther King, Jr., was embraced as a righteous leader. These characterizations reinforced hegemonic power structures while challenging the established “protest paradigm.” [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 2006, millions of immigrants protested in cities around the United States against H.R. 4437, a new bill in Congress that threatened to criminalize undocumented immigrants and strengthen border enforcement. For this study, I interviewed immigration editors and reporters at California newspapers about the discourse surrounding this bill to determine the presence and/or prevalence of geo-ethnic storytelling, which posits that racial and geographic location of a particular subject community creates a unique network for the way journalists tell and understand stories. This study suggests that although reporters and editors acknowledge the importance of their own sense of race and community in creating reports, the journalistic norms of fairness and objectivity were more influential than geo-ethnic storytelling, suggesting the resilience of news routines and values despite changes in the field and an issue couched in race. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 2006, millions of immigrants protested against H.R. 4437, a new bill in Congress that threatened to treat undocumented immigrants as felons. Content analysis of news coverage of the bill reveals that frames of the restrictionist legislation varied based on race and geography of the surrounding community. These results suggest that geo-ethnic context, which has been studied in terms of communication infrastructure within communities, should be taken into account when trying to understand how an issue is framed, particularly when trying to explain and predict why and when certain frames might occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The "Undetectable = Untransmittable" ("U=U") campaign is gaining traction, but prior studies from 2012–2017 have shown that the proportion of gay and bisexual men who have sex with men (GBMSM) who are aware of or have perceived accuracy of U=U is low. We report findings from a survey administered to GBMSM in 2018 to understand whether the landscape is changing with respect to U=U message dissemination. Methods GBMSM were recruited on gay dating apps to complete a 96 question survey. Survey data were collected in April-August of 2018. Collected data elements included demographic information, HIV status, ART and PrEP use, and beliefs and opinions regarding HIV transmission. Results 969 GBMSM completed the survey; of whom, 678 had analyzable data (241 had never had anal sex with a man and 54 were missing ≥1 of the variables used in the analysis). Average age was 43 years, 65% were white, 15% black, 15% white, and 15% were HIV-infected (of whom 92% were on anti-retrovirals). Of the 85% who were HIV-uninfected, 39% were on PrEP. In response to the statement that a person with an undetectable viral load cannot transmit HIV to an HIV-uninfected person, 24% strongly agreed. Among HIV-negative GBMSM, 33% of those on PrEP agreed and 12% of those not on PrEP agreed. Among those living with HIV, 42% agreed. A multivariable logistic regression was run to explain correlates of strong agreement with U=U, using the following variables: age, education, being Black, being Hispanic, relationship status, number of lifetime male sexual partners, condom use with most recent anal sex, HIV status, PrEP use, and attitudes about living with HIV. Variables associated with strong agreement with U=U were living with HIV (AOR = 1.63, P < 0.001), taking PrEP (AOR = 2.85, P < 0.001), most recent encounter's condom use (AOR = 2.22, P = 0.003), and having positive attitudes about living with HIV (AOR= 1.93, P < 0.001). Table 1 shows percentages for each of these variables (bivariate relationships) strongly agreeing with U=U. Conclusion Now that U=U has been scientifically proven, the challenge is public awareness. U=U awareness seems to be improving among GBMSM, with HIV-negative GBMSM making the greatest strides. Education around U=U and PrEP efficacy may help reduce guilt around HIV transmission and alleviate HIV stigma. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV continues to be a pressing problem, particularly for men who have sex with men (MSM). Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective means of preventing HIV infection, but adoption of it by MSM has been sluggish. Though there are many reasons for PrEP's limited adoption, healthcare providers' lack of skill in communicating with MSM likely plays a role. This study employed in-depth interviews with MSM who have adopted PrEP to explore how effective patient-provider communication surrounding PrEP takes place. Findings revealed that healthcare providers utilized five strategies to communicate with their MSM patients about PrEP. These strategies included (1) disclosure of identity and personal information; (2) knowledge of information that may be relevant to MSM patients; (3) positivity; (4) relationship inquiries; and (5) remaining calm. Employing the strategies uncovered in this study may be useful in improving communication between healthcare providers and their MSM patients and may help to increase MSM's adoption of PrEP.

This study focuses on how gay men communicate about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), focusing on how they learned about PrEP, how they discussed adoption with health care providers, and to what extent they have encountered stigma on social networks. In this qualitative study, 39 gay PrEP users were interviewed about PrEP. A majority of the participants learned about PrEP via friends and potential sex partners, and a majority of the participants experienced stigma from their health care provider and from other gay men online, mainly referring to promiscuity and risks of STIs. The authors recommend that health care providers should be trained in minimizing the expression of stigmatizing attitudes and should increase their knowledge of PrEP.

In this study, we conducted a content analysis of 243 photographic images of men published on the gay male-oriented blog Queerty.com. We also analyzed 435 user-generated comments from a randomly selected 1-year sample. Focusing on images' body types, we found that the range of body types featured on the blog was quite narrow-the vast majority of images had very low levels of body fat and very high levels of muscularity. Users' body image-related comments typically endorsed and celebrated images; critiques of images were comparatively rare. Perspectives from objectification theory and social comparison theory suggest that the images and commentary found on the blog likely reinforce unhealthy body image in gay male communities.