Use of Technology for HIV Prevention Among Adolescent and Adult Women in the United States

A multiplicative effect of Education and Wealth associated with HIV-related knowledge and attitudes among Ghanaian women

BACKGROUND

Knowledge and attitudes regarding HIV play a crucial role in prevention and control efforts. Understanding the factors influencing HIV-related knowledge and attitudes is essential for formulating effective interventions and policies. This study aims to investigate the possibility of an interaction between education and wealth in influencing HIV-related knowledge and attitudes among women in Ghana.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data from the Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), a nationally representative sample, were analyzed. Statistical summaries were computed using place of residence, marital status, education level, wealth index quintile, use of insurance, functional difficulties, and exposure to modern media. Furthermore, a three-model Logistic regression analysis was conducted; Model 1 with main effects only, Model 2 with the interaction between education and wealth, and Model 3 with additional covariates. To account for the complexity of the survey data, the svyset command was executed in STATA.

RESULTS

Although most interaction terms between wealth index quintiles and education levels did not show statistical significance, a few exceptions were observed. Notably, women with primary education in the second, middle, and fourth wealth quintiles, along with those with secondary education in the second wealth quintile, exhibited a negative significant association with HIV-related attitude level. However, no significant associations were found between other factors, including age, place of residence, marital status, and health insurance, and HIV-related attitude. The study also found significant associations between socioeconomic variables and HIV-related knowledge. There was a significant positive association between higher levels of education and HIV-related knowledge level. Women in wealthier quintiles had a significant positive association with HIV-related knowledge level. Factors such as place of residence and media exposure, including radio and television were also observed to be associated with HIV-related knowledge level.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the importance of socioeconomic status and media exposure in shaping HIV-related knowledge and attitudes among women in Ghana. Policy interventions should focus on reducing socioeconomic disparities, ensuring equitable access to education and healthcare services, and utilizing media platforms for effective HIV information dissemination.

Implementing Geospatial Science and Technology to Get to Zero New HIV Infections

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Tremendous advancements have been made in HIV treatment and prevention during the last 40 years that zero new HIV cases has become an attainable goal declared by international agencies. However, new cases of HIV infection persist.

RECENT FINDINGS

The emerging field of geospatial science is positioned to play key role in the reduction of continued HIV incidence through technology-driven interventions and innovative research that gives insights into at-risk populations. As these methods become more utilized, findings consistently show the important role of location and environment plays in HIV incidence and treatment adherence. This includes distance to HIV provider, locations of where HIV transmissions occurs compared to where people with HIV reside, and how geospatial technology has been leveraged to identify unique insights among varying groups of those at increased risk for HIV, among others. Given these insights, leveraging geospatial technology would play a prominent role in achieving zero new cases of HIV infections.

Perspectives on a Couples-Based, e-Health HIV Prevention Toolkit Intervention: A Qualitative Dyadic Study with Black, Heterosexual Couples in New York State

Web-based technology provides an unparalleled opportunity to increase access and uptake of couples-based HIV prevention interventions. e-Health HIV prevention interventions for US Black heterosexual couples have largely been understudied. To address this gap, we applied the Assessment Phase of the ADAPT-ITT Framework to investigate Black heterosexual couples' perspectives on an existing e-Health, couples-based HIV prevention intervention. Applying a qualitative descriptive approach, joint dyadic interviews were conducted with 28 Black heterosexual couples from three jurisdictions in New York State. Content dyadic analysis revealed three descriptive categories: perspectives of the toolkit intervention (sub-codes: perceived relevance, reactions to core components), recommendations to enhance intervention relevancy (sub-codes: tailoring to relationship type, adding new content), and lasting intervention considerations (sub-codes: toolkit usability and language use). Overall, couples found the toolkit intervention content and usability acceptable and reflected on its potential to build sexual and relationship health. Couples recommended to enhance toolkit adaptability for varied couple's motivation and types re-consider terms like sexual agreements, and include content to facilitate communication regarding sensitive topics (e.g., childhood sexual trauma, co-parenting, family planning) and other issues that may have more relevance to the experience of US Black persons (i.e., wealth building).

Recruiting young women of color into a pilot RCT targeting sexual health: Lessons learned and implications for applied health technology research

Objective To evaluate different recruitment methods to enroll participants into a mHealth pilot RCT: banner ads on Facebook and OkCupid, and targeted electronic outreach (e.g., emails to community-based organizations and to professors at local colleges). Participants: Between October 2015 and May 2016, 114 college-aged Black and Latina women 18 to 24 participated in the study. Methods: Recruitment methods compared online banner ads on social media to targeted electronic outreach. Individual banner ad images were compared by impressions, clicks, and cost by enrolled participants. Results: More targeted electronic recruited participants enrolled than via banner advertisements. Banner ads with images of women yielded a higher click-through-rate and was more cost effective versus the logo alone. Conclusions: Recruiting young women of color may be facilitated through known and trusted adults, such as college professors, rather than through anonymous banner advertisements on social media.

Applying a Nursing Perspective to Address the Challenges Experienced by Cisgender Women in the HIV Status Neutral Care Continuum: A Review of the Literature

ABSTRACT

The field of HIV research has grown over the past 40 years, but there remains an urgent need to address challenges that cisgender women living in the United States experience in the HIV neutral status care continuum, particularly among women such as Black women, who continue to be disproportionately burdened by HIV due to multiple levels of systemic oppression. We used a social ecological framework to provide a detailed review of the risk factors that drive the women's HIV epidemic. By presenting examples of effective approaches, best clinical practices, and identifying existing research gaps in three major categories (behavioral, biomedical, and structural), we provide an overview of the current state of research on HIV prevention among women. To illustrate a nursing viewpoint and take into account the diverse life experiences of women, we provide guidance to strengthen current HIV prevention programs. Future research should examine combined approaches for HIV prevention, and policies should be tailored to ensure that women receive effective services that are evidence-based and which they perceive as important to their lives.

Developing Culturally Tailored mHealth Tools to Address Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes Among Black and Latina Women: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

In addressing the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) disparities for Black and Latina women, there is a need for the development of innovative programs, framed using theoretical underpinnings that are culturally and contextually tailored so that they align with lived experiences. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions offer considerable potential as a means of providing effective SRH education and services. However, there has been a lack of research assessing culturally and contextually tailored mHealth SRH interventions for Black and Latina women.

METHOD

A comprehensive literature search was undertaken using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Literature was reviewed to evaluate whether a culturally and contextually tailored approach was utilized in the development and implementation of mHealth interventions for Black and Latina women.

RESULTS

A total of 12 articles were included in our synthesis, which encompassed mobile phone-, telephone-, and computer-based mHealth interventions for Black and Latina women. Cultural and/or gender-specific tailoring was included in 10 studies. Reduction of risky sexual behaviors and increased contraception usage were reported in 92% (n = 11) of the studies. Interventions that incorporated tailored content and fostered interaction reported high rates of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Tailored mHealth interventions can be effective in promoting behavior change and improving SRH outcomes for Black and Latina women. However, there is a need for more research assessing user engagement and retention for Black and Latina women, and whether improvements in SRH outcomes are sustainable over the long term.

Lessons Learned from Replicating a Randomized Control Trial Evaluation of an App-Based Sexual Health Program

This study presents findings from a randomized control trial replication evaluation of Pulse, an app-based pregnancy prevention program implemented with Black and Latinx women aged 18-20, a population with high rates of unplanned pregnancy. We used social media advertisements to enroll 1013 women online across the U.S. and automatically randomized participants to either the Pulse reproductive health app or a general health control app, stratifying by age and race/Latinx ethnicity. Participants received reminder text messages to view the app as well as text messages with app-related content throughout the intervention. Linear probability models were conducted on the analytic sample of 871 participants who completed the six-week survey and 798 who completed the six-month survey and adjusted for permuted block randomization and multiple hypothesis testing. Compared to the control group, intervention group participants had higher contraceptive knowledge (p = 0.000), which replicates findings from an earlier evaluation. However, these impacts were not sustained at six-month follow-up (p = 0.162). We found no other significant program impacts. This contrasts with an earlier evaluation that found intervention participants were less likely to have had sex without a hormonal or long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) method and had greater self-confidence to use contraception consistently than the control group. Different demographic characteristics, lower app usage, and more negative attitudes about and usage of hormonal/LARC contraception in the current sample may help to explain fewer impacts than the earlier evaluation.

A Community-Engaged Approach to Creating a Mobile HIV Prevention App for Black Women: Focus Group Study to Determine Preferences via Prototype Demos

Background

Black women are an important but relatively overlooked at-risk group in HIV prevention efforts. Although there is an aggregate decline of HIV diagnoses among women in the United States, there are persistent disparate rates of new HIV infections among Black women compared to any other cisgender female subgroup. Strategies to end the HIV epidemic—as outlined in the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative—for all communities must consider HIV prevention messaging and message delivery mediums that are created with community input. Although mobile health (mHealth) is a popular platform for delivering HIV interventions, there are currently no mobile apps that consider cisgender Black women with the goal of promoting a comprehensive women’s reproductive health and HIV prevention lifestyle. Previous research recommends inclusion of the target population from project inception and iteratively throughout development, to promote use of the intervention.

Objective

The purpose of this study is to understand cisgender Black women’s preferences for functionality, format, and design of a mobile HIV prevention app and to examine their willingness to use an app for HIV prevention.

Methods

We conducted a series of four focus groups with 23 Black cisgender women. Focus groups included discussion and demonstration elements to address cisgender women’s general preference for apps, HIV prevention content that would be useful in an app, and preferred app features that would promote use of an HIV-centric app. During focus group discussions, participants were shown narrated, custom wireframes of HIV prevention app prototypes to demonstrate potential app function.

Results

Findings indicated the presence of eight subthemes within the coding structure of three overall themes: (1) health content within the mobile app, (2) mobile app functionality, format, and design, and (3) other suggested features. Specifically, participants detailed preferred educational content, content distribution, app aesthetics, privacy considerations, and marketing of the app.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that Black cisgender women preferred an app that integrated HIV prevention and optimal sexual health promotion. Participants provided a range of preferences for content integration and facilitators of app engagement with an HIV prevention app. Preferences centered on gender and cultural congruency of information and content, evidenced by visuals, language, and resources. Black cisgender women are viable consumers for a mobile app–based HIV prevention intervention.

A Review of Approaches Used to Increase Awareness of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in the United States

PrEP is an important and useful HIV prevention strategy, yet awareness remains low among at-risk populations in the United States and elsewhere in the world. As previous studies have shown PrEP awareness to be important to PrEP uptake, understanding approaches to increase PrEP awareness is imperative. The current systematic review provides an overview of published articles and on-going research on PrEP awareness. Using PRISMA guidelines, two published articles and seven on-going research studies were identified that use different approaches to increase PrEP awareness. Findings highlight the need for research to target other at-risk populations and geographic areas. Future research should consider the use of technology and network approaches to assess whether they lead to increased awareness, accurate knowledge, and uptake of PrEP, along with examining which messaging works best for specific targeted, at-risk population(s).

Common elements and features of a mobile-based self-management system for people living with HIV

BACKGROUND

In recent years, mobile-based applications have become important technologies to the delivery of healthcare around the world. Mobile-based self-management systems with standard features for providing, evaluating, and improving HIV care are significantly required in developing countries.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the common elements of a mobile-based self-management system for people living with HIV (PLWH).

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was done in two main phases in 2017. In the first phase, a review was conducted in relevant databases such as; PubMed, Scopus, Up To Date, and Web of Science. The keywords used to search for resources were as follows; Self-care, Self-management, Data elements, Minimum data set, Mobile application, Mobile health, and HIV/AIDS. In the second phase, the infectious diseases specialists and health information managers affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences were consulted to score identified elements by a questionnaire. Frequency and mean of collected data were calculated using SPSS software (version 19).

RESULTS

By full-text reviewing of 9 related articles, the identified elements were justified in 3 main categories and 37 subcategories including: clinical data elements (17), technical capabilities (12) and demographic data elements (8). According to the findings, among the clinical category, 11 data elements were selected by the statistical population. Among the identified technical capabilities, 11 features were selected. Moreover, 6 data elements were selected as the demographic category.

CONCLUSION

We obtained data elements and technical capabilities of a mobile-based self-management system for people living with HIV. Using these elements and features, designing of self-management system architecture will be possible. Self-management skills of PLWH and their communication with healthcare providers will improve by using this system.

Get+Connected: Development and Pilot Testing of an Intervention to Improve Computer and Internet Attitudes and Internet Use Among Women Living With HIV

BACKGROUND

For persons living with chronic medical conditions, the Internet can be a powerful tool for health promotion, and allow for immediate access to medical information and social support. However, women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States face numerous barriers to computer and Internet use. Health behavior change models suggest that the first step towards adopting a new health behavior is to improve attitudes towards that behavior.

OBJECTIVE

To develop and pilot test Get+Connected, an intervention to improve computer and Internet attitudes and Internet use among women living with HIV.

METHODS

To develop Get+Connected, we reviewed the extant literature, adapted an existing curriculum, and conducted a focus group with HIV-positive women (n=20) at a community-based organization in the Bronx, New York. Get+Connected was comprised of five weekly sessions covering the following topics: basic computer knowledge and skills, identifying reliable health-related websites, setting up and using email and Facebook accounts, and a final review session. We recruited 12 women to participate in pilot testing. At baseline, we collected data about participants' sociodemographic information, clinical characteristics, and technology device ownership and use. At baseline, intervention completion, and three months postintervention, we collected data regarding attitudes towards computers and the Internet (Attitudes Towards Computers and the Internet Questionnaire [ATCIQ]; possible scores range from 5-50) as well as frequency of Internet use (composite measure). To examine changes in ATCIQ scores and Internet use over time, we used generalized estimating equations. We also collected qualitative data during intervention delivery.

RESULTS

Among women in our sample, the median age was 56 years (interquartile range=52-63). All participants were black/African American and/or Latina. Seven participants (7/12, 58%) had a high school diploma (or equivalent) or higher degree. Ten participants (10/12, 83%) reported owning a mobile phone, while only one (1/12, 8%) reported owning a computer or tablet. Only one participant (1/12, 8%) reported having ever used the Internet or email. Internet nonusers cited lack of computer/Internet knowledge (6/11, 54%) and lack of access to a computer or similar device (4/11, 36%) as the main barriers to use. Over time, we observed an improvement in attitudes towards computers and the Internet (ATCIQ scores: 33.5 at baseline, 35 at intervention completion, and 36 at three months postintervention; P=.008). No significant increase in Internet use was observed (P=.61). Qualitative findings indicated excitement and enthusiasm for the intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

In our sample of urban, technology-inexperienced HIV-positive women, participation in Get+Connected was associated with an improvement in attitudes towards computers and the Internet, but not Internet use. Changing attitudes is the first step in many health behavior change models, indicating that with improved access to computer and Internet resources, frequency of Internet use may also have increased. Future studies should consider addressing issues of access to technology in conjunction with Get+Connected.