Communication technology use and mHealth acceptance among HIV-infected men who have sex with men in Peru: implications for HIV prevention and treatment

Abstract

The HIV epidemic in Peru is concentrated among men who have sex with men (MSM). Given that MSM have been documented as early adopters of emerging technology, we examined communication technology access and utilization, and mobile health (mHealth) acceptance among Peruvian MSM and transgender women (TGW) in order to gauge opportunities for mHealth-enabled HIV interventions. A convenience sample of 359 HIV-infected MSM and TGW recruited from three sites in Lima, Peru completed standardized assessments of alcohol use disorders (AUDs), risky sexual behavior, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence along with self-constructed measures of communication technology access and utilization, and mHealth acceptance. Most participants (86%) had daily access to any cell phone, including smartphones (30%). The most frequent communication activities were receiving and making calls, and receiving and sending text messages using cell phones. On a 5-point Likert scale, participants expressed interest in using mHealth for medication reminders (M = 3.21, SD = 1.32) and engaging in anonymous online interactions with health professionals to discuss HIV-related issues (M = 3.56, SD = 1.33). Importantly, no significant differences were found in communication technology use and mHealth acceptance among participants with AUDs, depression, and suboptimal ART adherence, all of which are associated with poor HIV treatment outcomes. Findings show support for implementing mHealth-based intervention strategies using cell phones to assess and reduce HIV-risk behaviors among HIV-infected MSM and TGW.

Keywords:

• mHealth
• communication technology
• men who have sex with men (MSM)
• HIV
• Peru

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the medical and research staff at Impacta and Via Libre, the research and administrative personnel at the Yale AIDS Program and especially the study participants for their time and involvement in this project.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded through multiple sources at Yale University including the Yale College Fellowship for Research in Health Studies, Thomas C. Barry travel fellowship, CIPE Spanish and Latin America fellowship, and the Yale College International Summer Award. Additional funding was provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse [grant number R01 AA018944], [grant number R01 DA032106] and a career development grant [grant number K24 DA017072].