Development and Concept Testing of Care Engagement and Medication Adherence Health Messaging for Women Living with HIV in the South (Preprint)
Year: 2025
Type: preprint
Abstract: BACKGROUND Women living with HIV (WLWH) in the Southern United States, or South, face persistent and overlapping challenges to care engagement and antiretroviral therapy adherence, including HIV-related stigma, poverty, and inequitable access to healthcare. While mobile health (mHealth) interventions show promise for enhancing self-management and care engagement among people living with HIV, interventions tailored to WLWH remain limited, particularly those developed through participatory approaches that center their lived experiences. OBJECTIVE This study sought to evaluate the acceptability, comprehensibility, and personal relevance of targeted health messages developed for a proposed mHealth application tailored to WLWH in the South. Additionally, it explored participants’ perceptions of the feasibility and desirability of the proposed intervention. METHODS This study represents Phase 3 of a multi-stage, mixed-methods project. Message content was informed by earlier phases, which included individual interviews, surveys, perceptual mapping with WLWH, and input from a Community/Clinician Advisory Board. In this phase, three focus groups (two virtual, one in-person) were conducted with 30 WLWH recruited from Southern HIV clinics and community organizations. Participants reviewed prototype wireframes and health messages, including SMS-style content, and provided feedback on all content. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis. RESULTS Participants expressed strong interest in the proposed mHealth app and emphasized the importance of health messaging that is clear, supportive, and personally meaningful. Four key categories emerged: (1) acceptability of a tailored mHealth app, with participants noting the value of privacy, accessibility, and convenience; (2) acceptability of message content, including preferences for affirming, uplifting language and images; (3) personal relevance, particularly for messages addressing stigma, spirituality, family, and empowerment; and (4) comprehensibility, highlighting the need for plain language and visual clarity. CONCLUSIONS These findings support the development of a tailored mHealth intervention for WLWH in the South. Co-designed messages that center affirmation, spirituality, and real-life challenges were perceived as acceptable, comprehensible, and highly relevant. Future work will focus on refining the content and prototype testing.
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4409618472