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ORIGINAL PAPER
Swipe Right: Dating Website and App Use Among Men Who Have
Sex With Men
Hannah J. Badal
1,3
•Jo Ellen Stryker
1
•Nickolas DeLuca
2
•David W. Purcell
1
Published online: 7 September 2017
ÓSpringer Science+Business Media, LLC (outside the USA) 2017
Abstract This study explored the frequency of dating
website and app usage among MSM to understand sub-
group differences in use. Web-based survey data
(N=3105) were analyzed to assess the use of dating
websites and apps. More than half (55.7%) of MSM in this
sample were frequent users of dating websites and apps.
Two-thirds (66.7%) of frequent users had casual partners
only in the past 12 months and reported a high average
number of casual sexual partners in the past 12 months
(Mdn =5.0) compared to never users (Mdn =0.0;
v
2
(2) =734.94, adj. p \.001). The most frequently used
dating website or app was Grindr, with 60.2% of the
sample reporting some or frequent use. Adam4Adam
(23.5%), Jack’d (18.9%) and Scruff (18.7%) were also
frequently used. Dating websites and apps may be effective
channels to reach a diverse group of MSM with HIV pre-
vention messages.
Resumen Este estudio exploro
´la frecuencia de uso de
sitios web y aplicaciones para buscar pareja entre hombres
que tienen sexo con hombres (HSH), con el fin de com-
prender las diferencias en el uso entre sub-grupos. Se
analizaron datos de una encuesta realizada por internet
(N=3105) para evaluar el uso de dichos sitios y aplica-
ciones. Ma
´s de la mitad (55.7%) de HSH en esta muestra
eran usuarios frecuentes de sitios web y aplicaciones para
buscar pareja. Dos tercios (66.7%) de los usuarios fre-
cuentes tuvieron u
´nicamente parejas casuales en los 12
meses previos y reportaron un alto nu
´mero de parejas
sexuales casuales en los 12 meses anteriores (Mdn =5.0),
en comparacio
´n con quienes nunca habı
´an sido usuarios
(Mdn =0.0; v
2
(2) =734.94, adj. p \.001). El sitio web o
aplicacio
´n utilizado con mayor frecuencia fue Grindr, con
el 60.2% de la muestra reportando uso ocasional o fre-
cuente. Adam4Adam (23.5%), Jack’d (18.9%) y Scruff
(18.7%) tambie
´n se usaron con frecuencia. Los sitios web y
aplicaciones para buscar pareja podrı
´an ser canales efec-
tivos para alcanzar un grupo diverso de HSH con mensajes
para la prevencio
´n del VIH.
Keywords Dating apps Online HIV prevention Gay
MSM
Introduction
Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men
(collectively referred to as MSM) continue to be the group
most disproportionately affected by HIV. While MSM are
estimated to make up 2% of the overall population in the
United States [1], surveillance data for 2014 indicate that
70% of HIV diagnoses were among MSM (including MSM
who inject drugs) [2]. Additionally, significant health dis-
parities exist by race/ethnicity. While the lifetime risk of
HIV infection for all Americans is estimated to be 1 in 99,
the lifetime risk HIV infection for MSM overall is 1 in 6—
for black or African American (hereafter referred to as
black) MSM 1 in 2, and for Hispanic/Latino (hereafter
&Hannah J. Badal
h.badal@u.northwestern.edu
1
Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/
AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
2
Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
3
Department of Communication Studies, School of
Communication, Northwestern University, 710 Lakeshore
Drive, 15th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
123
AIDS Behav (2018) 22:1265–1272
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-017-1882-7
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