The pay-it-forward strategy may increase gonorrhea and chlamydia testing among Chinese men who have sex with men, or MSM, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

The pay-it-forward method offers individuals a gift, such as an STD test, and allows them to contribute to a future test for another individual. The study’s results indicate pay-it-forward may be effective for increasing the availability of preventive services that include a mandatory fee. “Many sexual health services do not cover the cost of routine STD screening,” Joseph D. Tucker, MD, PhD, associate professor in the division of infectious diseases and director of UNC Project-China at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, told Healio. “Innovative financing approaches are needed to cover STD testing costs. A pay-it-forward intervention to promote gonorrhea/chlamydia testing among gay/bisexual men substantially increased testing uptake and supported 40% of total costs.”

Tucker and colleagues performed a randomized, controlled superiority trial at three HIV testing sites run by community-based MSM organizations in Guangzhou and Beijing, China. They included MSM aged 16 years or older who were interested in HIV testing and were considered appropriate for chlamydia and gonorrhea testing. Read more via Healio