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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT07165496

Text Messaging to Promote HIV Testing in Gay Men

The rate of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remains high among Peruvian men who have sex with men (MSM), and new prevention programs should be developed to reach and provide sexual health services to more MSM. The Internet is a feasible medium both for recruiting participants and for implementing projects with MSM in Lima, Peru. Likewise, in Peru, mobile phones are promising tools for carrying out HIV-related interventions due to the high rate of mobile phone penetration. The Internet is a way to reach MSM who do not attend traditional health centers due to the stigma associated with being homosexual. Since mobile phones can be used to promote health, the investigators proposed to design, implement, and evaluate an intervention using text messages to promote HIV testing among Peruvian MSM recruited online. To achieve this objective, the investigators conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of a text message-based intervention to promote HIV testing among MSM in Lima recruited via the Internet.

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Key information

Conditions

HIV Testing Behavior Homosexuality Sexual Behavior Sexuality

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Male

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia

Lima, Lima Province, Peru

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Be male at birth
  • Be 18 years of age or older
  • Be a resident of Lima, Peru
  • Report having had sex (oral or anal) with another man in the past 12 months
  • Provide informed consent
  • Own a mobile phone

Exclusion criteria

  • Report being HIV-positive
  • Have taken an HIV test within the past year

Treatment and study plan

Text message-based intervention

Behavioral

Participants received weekly text messages to promote health and HIV testing and were followed and supported by trained healthcare counselors through two-way communication over a 12-week period. They were able to schedule a free HIV testing appointment at any time up to six months after enrollment.

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of participants who received an HIV test

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of the 6-month follow-up period

    Having undergone HIV testing at one of the study-affiliated health centers

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Cell Phones for Bringing Gay Men From Internet to the Health Center

Important dates

Study start
2015
Primary completion
2015
Study completion
2015
First posted
Sep 10, 2025
Registry last updated
Nov 24, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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