Recruiting Black Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) Couples via Dating Apps: Pilot Study on Challenges and Successes (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND HIV disproportionately impacts Black men who have sex with men (MSM) and targeting the primary relationship (i.e., couples) using mobile technology for health (mHealth) holds promise for HIV prevention. Online recruitment of MSM is commonly employed in HIV prevention and intervention research. However, little known about recruiting Black MSM couples online in the US. OBJECTIVE To describe the process of recruiting Black MSM couples over social networking and dating applications (apps) frequented by MSM. We describe the activities for recruiting, screening, and enrolling participants as part of a randomized trial employing a multipronged recruitment approach. METHODS Black MSM in couples were recruited via three apps (i.e., Jack’d, Adam4Adam, and Growlr) between May 2020 and March 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. Black MSM couples were eligible if one or both partners are Black, MSM, and living with HIV; and if both partners were 18 years or older, have been together for at least two months in what they both consider to be a primary relationship (i.e., one in which both partners reported feeling most committed to over any other partner or relationship). RESULTS A total of 25 couples (n = 50) were enrolled; of these, 10 couples (n = 20) were enrolled via apps. App recruitment activities were a combination of passive (e.g., in-app advertisements) and active (e.g., direct messaging of users) engagement. A full-time staff recruiter experienced challenges such as bugs (i.e., technical errors in computer program or system), navigating idiosyncratic advertising and technical requirements specific to each app, and online harassment from users. CONCLUSIONS Despite challenges, it was possible to recruit Black MSM couples virtually into research as part of a multipronged recruitment strategy. We identify tips for using online dating and other social-networking apps as part of a recruitment strategy in future research with Black MSM couples.