HIV-related posts from a Chinese internet discussion forum: An exploratory study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In China, the introduction of antiretroviral treatment has increased the number of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). New technologies, such as social media, might be useful for enhancing HIV surveillance, especially given the lack of Chinese research, which is related to stigma and discrimination. Thus, the relative anonymity of social media may make it useful for evaluating "hard to reach" PLWHA.

Setting

This study used social media data to assess whether it reflected the prevalence of HIV and to explore PLWHA' needs and online habits.

Methods

In 2017, the Baidu Tieba platform was searched to obtain 2,500 HIV-related postings and 2,500 tuberculosis-related postings as a comparative sample. Word clouds and coding schemes were used to analyze the contents

SUBMITTER: Dong Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6394980 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature