Bijou: Engaging Young MSM in HIV Care Using a Mobile Health Strategy

• Published in: Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care Vol. 20; p. 23259582211030805
• Main Authors: Chenneville, Tiffany, Drake, Hunter, Gabbidon, Kemesha, Rodriguez, Carina, Hightow-Weidman, Lisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.01.2021; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Health behavior; Health education; Health literacy; Health planning; Health services; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Knowledge; Men who have sex with men; Original; Self-efficacy; Young men; HIV; mobile health; MSM; eHealth; youth
• ISSN: 2325-9582; 2325-9574; 2325-9582
• DOI: 10.1177/23259582211030805

Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) living with HIV experience challenges with retention in care, which negatively affects viral suppression. To address this, researchers piloted Bijou, a program designed to provide health education through electronically delivered behavior and risk reduction modules. Participants were 29 YMSM aged 19-24 living with HIV from the southeastern US. Participants completed pre, post, and 3-month follow-up (3MFU) surveys assessing knowledge, intervention acceptability, satisfaction, self-efficacy, ehealth literacy, and usability. Findings revealed significant improvement in knowledge and e-health literacy from pre-test to post-test but lost significance at 3MFU. Self-efficacy scores did not show significant differences from pre-test to post-test or 3MFU. Participants who completed all modules considered Bijou usable and acceptable; however, many did not complete the program. Findings suggest a need for adaptations to promote knowledge retention, e-health literacy, engagement over time, and research with a larger, more representative sample.