An Exploratory Study of the Mpox Media Consumption, Attitudes, and Preferences of Sexual and Gender Minority People Assigned Male at Birth in the United States
Abstract
Purpose: This study examined the consumption of, attitudes toward, and preferences for mpox media among U.S. sexual and gender minority (SGM) people assigned male at birth (AMAB).
Methods: A total of 496 SGM people AMAB completed an online cross-sectional survey between August 6 and 15, 2022. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and logistic regressions.
Results: Approximately two-thirds of participants overall agreed that media-related content about mpox targeted (66.3%) and stigmatized gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (69.2%). The three most preferred mpox content were the destigmatization of SGM people (44.2%), mpox vaccine accessibility (25.2%), and mpox transmission and prevention (19.2%). Rural participants had a lower likelihood of consuming mpox-related media than urban participants.
Conclusion: SGM people AMAB prefer mpox messaging campaigns to be grounded in stigma-reduction to ensure that messages do not perpetrate stigma against them. Stigmatizing content might foster SGM people AMAB to distrust mpox interventions.
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Copyright 2023, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.
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Published in print: July 2023
Published online: 27 June 2023
Published ahead of print: 3 February 2023
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C.O. and R.H.D. oversaw conceptualization (equal). C.O. (lead) and R.H.D. (supporting) analyzed the data. C.O. (lead) and R.H.D. (supporting) drafted the original article. C.O. and R.H.D. (equal) revised the article.
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No competing financial interests exist.
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No funding was received for this article.
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