TY - JOUR
KW - Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
KW - Adult
KW - Cell Phone/utilization
KW - Connecticut
KW - Delivery of Health Care
KW - Drug Users/psychology
KW - Female
KW - HIV Infections/prevention & control
KW - Humans
KW - Internet
KW - Male
KW - Methadone/therapeutic use
KW - Neurocognitive Disorders/complications
KW - Opiate Substitution Treatment
KW - Patient Acceptance of Health Care
KW - Prevalence
KW - Risk Factors
KW - Risk-Taking
KW - Sexual Behavior
KW - smartphone
KW - Substance Abuse, Intravenous
KW - Telemedicine/methods
KW - Text Messaging
KW - Neurocognitive impairment
KW - people who use drugs
KW - Substance Abuse
KW - mHealth
AU - R. Shrestha
AU - T. B. Huedo-Medina
AU - F. L. Altice
AU - A. Krishnan
AU - M. Copenhaver
A1 - 
AB - Despite promising trends of the efficacy of mobile health (mHealth) based strategies to a broad range of health conditions, very few if any studies have been done in terms of the examining the use of mHealth in HIV prevention efforts among people who use drugs in treatment. Thus, the goal of this study was to gain insight into the real-world acceptance of mHealth approaches among high-risk people who use drugs in treatment. A convenience sample of 400 HIV-negative drug users, who reported drug- and/or sex-related risk behaviors, were recruited from a methadone clinic in New Haven, Connecticut. Participants completed standardized assessments of drug- and sex-related risk behaviors, neurocognitive impairment (NCI), and measures of communication technology access and utilization, and mHealth acceptance. We found a high prevalence of current ownership and use of mobile technologies, such as cell phone (91.5%) including smartphone (63.5%). Participants used mobile technologies to communicate mostly through phone calls (M = 4.25, SD = 1.24), followed by text messages (M = 4.21, SD = 1.29). Participants expressed interest in using mHealth for medication reminders (72.3%), receive information about HIV (65.8%), and to assess drug-related (72.3%) and sex-related behaviors (64.8%). Furthermore, participants who were neurocognitively impaired were more likely to use cell phone without internet and show considerable interest in using mHealth as compared to those without NCI. The findings from this study provide empirical evidence that mHealth-based programs, specifically cell phone text messaging-based health programs, may be acceptable to this high-risk population.
AD - Department of Community Medicine & Health Care, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, MC 6325, Farmington, CT, 06030-6325, USA. Roman.Shrestha@UConn.edu.; Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA. Roman.Shrestha@UConn.edu.; Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.; Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.; Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.; Department of Internal Medicine, AIDS Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.; Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.; Department of Communication, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA.; Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.; Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
BT - AIDS and behavior
C5 - Healthcare Disparities; HIT & Telehealth; Opioids & Substance Use
CP - 11
CY - United States
DO - 10.1007/s10461-016-1637-x
IS - 11
JF - AIDS and behavior
M1 - Journal Article
N2 - Despite promising trends of the efficacy of mobile health (mHealth) based strategies to a broad range of health conditions, very few if any studies have been done in terms of the examining the use of mHealth in HIV prevention efforts among people who use drugs in treatment. Thus, the goal of this study was to gain insight into the real-world acceptance of mHealth approaches among high-risk people who use drugs in treatment. A convenience sample of 400 HIV-negative drug users, who reported drug- and/or sex-related risk behaviors, were recruited from a methadone clinic in New Haven, Connecticut. Participants completed standardized assessments of drug- and sex-related risk behaviors, neurocognitive impairment (NCI), and measures of communication technology access and utilization, and mHealth acceptance. We found a high prevalence of current ownership and use of mobile technologies, such as cell phone (91.5%) including smartphone (63.5%). Participants used mobile technologies to communicate mostly through phone calls (M = 4.25, SD = 1.24), followed by text messages (M = 4.21, SD = 1.29). Participants expressed interest in using mHealth for medication reminders (72.3%), receive information about HIV (65.8%), and to assess drug-related (72.3%) and sex-related behaviors (64.8%). Furthermore, participants who were neurocognitively impaired were more likely to use cell phone without internet and show considerable interest in using mHealth as compared to those without NCI. The findings from this study provide empirical evidence that mHealth-based programs, specifically cell phone text messaging-based health programs, may be acceptable to this high-risk population.
PP - United States
PY - 2017
SN - 1573-3254; 1090-7165
SP - 3100
EP - 3110
EP - 
T1 - Examining the Acceptability of mHealth Technology in HIV Prevention Among High-Risk Drug Users in Treatment
T2 - AIDS and behavior
TI - Examining the Acceptability of mHealth Technology in HIV Prevention Among High-Risk Drug Users in Treatment
U1 - Healthcare Disparities; HIT & Telehealth; Opioids & Substance Use
U2 - 28025735
U3 - 10.1007/s10461-016-1637-x
VL - 21
VO - 1573-3254; 1090-7165
Y1 - 2017
Y2 - Nov
ER -