Can you hear me now? Limited use of technology among an urban HIV-infected cohort

Abstract

Recent studies support technology-based behavioral interventions for individuals with HIV. This study focused on the use of cell phone and internet technologies among a cohort of 515 HIV-infected individuals. Socio-demographic and clinic data were collected among individuals presenting at an urban Midwestern university HIV clinic in 2007. Regular internet usage occurred more often with males, Caucasians, those who were employed, had higher income, and were more educated. Higher levels of education and income >$10,000 predicted regular usage when controlling for race, employment, and gender. Cell phone ownership was associated with being Caucasian, employed, more educated, and salary >$10,000. Employment was the only predictor of owning a cell phone when controlling for income, race, and education. Individuals who were <40 years of age, employed, and more educated were more likely to know how to text message. Employment and post-high school education predicted knowledge of text messaging, when controlling for age. Disparities among internet, cell phone, and text messaging usage exist among HIV-infected individuals.

Keywords:

• HIV/AIDS
• technology-based interventions
• cell phones
• internet usage
• HIV-infected
• socioeconomic barriers

Acknowledgements

This publication was partially supported by Grant Number UL1 RR024992 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of NCRR or NIH. ETO receives grants and research support from Abbott, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Tibotec, Gilead and Bavarian Nordic. He also serves as a consultant for Abbott, GlaxoSmithKline, Tibotec, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Gilead.