Homeless Youths' Use of the Internet for HIV Information and Testing Locations

Introduction: Internet and social media (ISM) have collectively revolutionized the ways in which people choose to communicate and obtain information.  The “social capital” framework suggests that ISM might be avenues through which homeless youth can bolster their otherwise limited access to resources and relationships.  ISM not only provides opportunities for homeless youth to acquire information, but also to connect to their family, caseworkers, and non-street-peers.  The first goal of this study is to determine if youth in different social service contexts (i.e., Hollywood versus Santa Monica) show different rates of using the internet for HIV information and testing location seeking. The second goal is to determine if such differences are related to demography, internet access, and/or social capital in these two homeless youth populations.

Methods:As a part of a longitudinal study, Los Angeles area homeless youth ages 14-27 years (N=380) were recruited from two drop-in centers, one in Santa Monica and one in Hollywood.  Each participant was asked to complete a computerized self-administered questionnaire.  Analyses include descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regressions.

Results: Compared to their Santa Monica peers, more Hollywood homeless youth report using the internet daily (35% vs. 20%) and accessing the internet on their cell phones (58% vs. 35%).  Furthermore, Hollywood homeless youth are significantly more likely to look for information about HIV/AIDS online (42%) relative to youth in Santa Monica (31%).  Likewise, youth in Hollywood were significantly more likely to use the internet to find an HIV testing location (28% vs. 18%, p<0.05).  In multivariate logistic regression models, site differences are no longer significant in regards to searching for HIV information online and finding HIV testing locations.  However, youth with a lifetime history of HIV testing are 2.5 times more likely to report seeking HIV information online and 2.8 times more likely to report having used the internet to locate HIV testing services.  Youth who use email and/or social networking websites to communicate with caseworkers or agency staff are 2.7 times more likely to report seeking HIV information online and 2.5 times more likely to report seeking an HIV testing location online.

Conclusions: These findings illustrate the need for increased internet access for homeless youth. Agencies serving homeless youth should bookmark credible sexual health information websites.  Agency staff may also consider utilizing email and social networking websites to communicate with their clients to facilitate HIV testing and information seeking.  Additionally, agencies may consider linking their Facebook pages and websites to online HIV prevention interventions.