{
  "abstract": "Men who have sex with men (MSM) have historically been a high-risk group for sexually transmitted diseases. In Hainan, the incidence of HIV and syphilis among MSM has increased rapidly. Additionally, there is a growing number of young students being diagnosed with HIV, with MSM identified as the primary demographic affected. However, the size and distribution of the MSM population within colleges and universities in Hainan Province remains unknown. In this study, the Blued App was employed to collect data on users within Hainan colleges and universities from May 9 to May 18, 2023. Using the users information and questionnaire survey data, we applied the multiplier method to estimate the population size of student MSM. Multivariate and geographic density analyses integrating survey data were conducted to identify regional disparities. A questionnaire survey revealed that 89.28% of student MSM reported using the Blued App, and 76.00% of the individuals utilized it for seeking sexual partners. The estimated population size of MSM in colleges across Hainan Province was 3504 (95%CI: 3464–3544), with Haikou and Sanya identified as hotspots. The proportion of active users was 33.13% (860/2596). Notably, Danzhou and Wenchang, relatively small urban areas with limited Blued registrants, exhibited high proportion of active users (42.22% and 41.30%). These findings suggest that particular attention should be directed towards sexual health education, and sexually transmitted disease surveillance in specific colleges.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Key Laboratory of Tropical Translational Medicine of Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Hainan Academy of Medical Sciences, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan, China",
    "Hainan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Haikou, Hainan, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Shi Chen"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Xin Chen"
    },
    {
      "name": "Rui Feng"
    },
    {
      "name": "Guihua Chen"
    },
    {
      "name": "Chunyun Lu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Donghui Zhao"
    },
    {
      "name": "Zhaoqian Wang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Dee Yu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/993fygfv1g81w.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0358788",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "993fygfv1g81w",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358788",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2725|HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Microbiology/Medical microbiology/Microbial pathogens/Viral pathogens/Immunodeficiency viruses/HIV"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Microbiology/Medical microbiology/Microbial pathogens/Viral pathogens/Retroviruses/Lentivirus/HIV"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Viruses/Immunodeficiency viruses/HIV"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Viruses/RNA viruses/Retroviruses/Lentivirus/HIV"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Viruses/Viral pathogens/Immunodeficiency viruses/HIV"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Organisms/Viruses/Viral pathogens/Retroviruses/Lentivirus/HIV"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Computer and information sciences/Computer networks/Internet"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Computer and information sciences/Network analysis/Social networks/Social media"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Geography"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Epidemiology/HIV epidemiology"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Epidemiology/Medical risk factors"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Infectious diseases/Sexually transmitted diseases"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Pathology and laboratory medicine/Pathogens/Microbial pathogens/Viral pathogens/Immunodeficiency viruses/HIV"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Pathology and laboratory medicine/Pathogens/Microbial pathogens/Viral pathogens/Retroviruses/Lentivirus/HIV"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/People and places/Population groupings/Sexuality groupings/Men who have sex with men"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Sociology/Communications/Social communication/Social media"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Sociology/Social networks/Social media"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7213882845",
  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0358788&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-21",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/993fygfv1g81w.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:43Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0358788",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358788"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:microbiology",
      "subfield": "microbiology"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:epidemiology",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:infectious diseases",
      "subfield": "infectious-disease"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Exploration of the population size of men who have sex with men in Hainan colleges: A cross-sectional study based on geographical social network App",
  "title_text": "Exploration of the population size of men who have sex with men in Hainan colleges: A cross-sectional study based on geographical social network App",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:43Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/993fygfv1g81w",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}