Iterative Development of an mHealth Intervention to Support Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation and Adherence Among Female Sex Workers in Mombasa, Kenya.
Frances M Aunon, Elena Okada, George Wanje and 7 others
PMID 31868829WHAT IT FOUND
Women living with HIV who engage in sex work preferred text messages sent from a female nurse to avoid partner suspicion.
They requested messages that omitted HIV terms to protect privacy and used familiar greetings to build trust.
Key findings
01Participants requested that text messages avoid HIV-related terms and instead use neutral medical language to prevent inadvertent disclosure of status.
02Women preferred messages sent from a female nurse, as this reduced partner suspicion and increased motivation through existing trust in clinic staff.
03Participants favored bidirectional messaging that allowed them to ask questions and receive a call back from a nurse within 24 hours.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (23 women), so theme saturation may not have been fully achieved. All participants were already engaged in care, so the findings may not apply to women who are not yet linked to health services. The study developed an intervention but did not test its effectiveness on adherence outcomes. Results may not be generalizable to populations outside of female sex workers in Mombasa, Kenya.
Declared interests
One author receives research funding from Hologic Corporation, paid to the University of Washington. The remaining authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this intervention improves adherence or viral suppression. This study only developed the text message content and structure based on qualitative feedback; it did not test whether the intervention works.