BackgroundAlthough many men who have sex with men (MSM) test for HIV at least once in their lifetime, opportunities to improve regular HIV testing, particularly among Hispanic or Latino MSM, is needed. Many mHealth interventions in development, including the ones on HIV testing, have primarily focused on English-speaking white, black, and MSM of other races. To date, no studies have assessed app use, attitudes, and motivations for downloading and sustaining use of mobile apps and preferences with respect to HIV prevention among Spanish-speaking, Hispanic MSM in the United States.ObjectiveThe primary aims of this study were to determine what features and functions of smartphone apps do Hispanic, Spanish-speaking MSM believe are associated with downloading apps to their smartphones, (2) what features and functions of smartphone apps are most likely to influence men’s sustained use of apps over time, and (3) what features and functions do men prefer in a smartphone app aimed to promote regular testing for HIV.MethodsInterviews (N=15) were conducted with a racially diverse group of sexually active, HIV-negative, Spanish-speaking, Hispanic MSM in Miami, Florida. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, translated back to English, and de-identified for analysis. A constant-comparison method (ie, grounded theory coding) was employed to examine themes that emerged from the interviews.ResultsPersonal interest was the primary reason associated with whether men downloaded an app. Keeping personal information secure, cost, influence by peers and posted reviews, ease of use, and functionality affected whether they downloaded and used the app over time. Men also reported that entertainment value and frequency of updates influenced whether they kept and continued to use an app over time. There were 4 reasons why participants chose to delete an app—dislike, lack of use, cost, and lack of memory or space. Participants also shared their preferences for an app to encourage regular HIV testing by providing feedback on test reminders, tailored testing interval recommendations, HIV test locator, and monitoring of personal sexual behaviors.ConclusionsThe features and functions of mobile apps that Spanish-speaking MSM in this study believed were associated with downloading and/or sustained engagement of an app generally reflected the priorities mentioned in an earlier study with English-speaking MSM. Unlike the earlier study, Spanish-speaking MSM prioritized personal interest in a mobile app and de-emphasized the efficiency of an app to make their lives easier in their decision to download an app to their mobile device. Tailoring mobile apps to the language and needs of Spanish-speaking MSM is critical to help increase their willingness to download a mobile app. Despite the growing number of HIV-prevention apps in development, few are tailored to Spanish-speaking MSM, representing an important gap that should be addressed in future research.
A number of HIV prevention interventions for male couples are in the pipeline for development as few evidence-based ones exist. Among these projects, none include all three groups of male couples (concordant HIV-negative, HIV-discordant, and concordant HIV-positive) as their target population, and only two are eHealth-based. The present qualitative study sought to assess whether one of the eHealth HIV prevention interventions for concordant HIV-negative male couples - called MCAP - could be adapted to meet the relationship and HIV prevention needs of HIV-discordant and HIV-positive male couples. Data for this study are drawn from in-person, individual-level interviews conducted with a convenience sample of 10 HIV-discordant male couples (n = 20) and 8 HIV-positive male couples (n = 16) from the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area in 2016. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify patterns (themes) of partners' thoughts about the toolkit, including how they perceived it could be improved for their own relationship and other couple's relationships. Two themes emerged from analysis of the qualitative data suggesting how the participants wanted the toolkit to be improved to meet their needs. Specifically, participants recommended for the toolkit to include guidance about integrating the use of biomedical HIV prevention strategies into couple's relationships, as well as for how partners can best take care of each other and further protect themselves from HIV and/or other STIs (Prevention Guidance). In addition, participants requested for the concept of sexual agreements to be broadened to include other aspects they deemed to be important in their life (e.g., mental health, exercise and nutrition) (Holistic agreements). Findings from the present study illuminate the ways in which MCAP would need to be adapted for these two groups of male couples in order to meet the needs for all three groups of male couples in the U.S. in a future iteration of this intervention.
Background: While many gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) test for
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