Enhancing safer conception for HIV serodiscordant couples through mobile technologies
Description: PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Couples in which one member is HIV-infected and the other HIV-uninfected (i.e., HIV discordant couples) need strategies to reduce the risk of HIV transmission when they attempt to conceive children. Building on our current work to develop a client-centered, evidence-based safer conception intervention, the current proposal will enhance that intervention with mHealth components: SMS (i.e. text message) surveys to capture data on fertility signs and feed into an ovulation prediction algorithm, a tablet-based application to facilitate in-clinic counseling sessions assessing couple readiness to practice timed unprotected sex (an important but often difficult component of safer conception), and SMS safer conception HIV prevention messages for couples based on their individual predicted upcoming days with peak fertility. With approximately 50% of HIV-infected people estimated to have a stable, HIV-uninfected partner and high rates of pregnancy and fertility intentions among African couples, this work is extremely important and will have great public health significance.
Funder: Fogarty International Center
Funding type: research
Funder scheme: R21
Start date: 2014-09-10
End date: 2017-04-30
Investigator: RENEE A. HEFFRON
Institution: UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
Funded outputs count: 7
Funder award ID: R21TW009908
OpenAlex ID: G618761511