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

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).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.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.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.