A pilot programme using mobile phones for HIV prevention

Abstract

We explored the feasibility of engaging young black men in a 12-week text messaging programme about HIV prevention. There were two non-randomized groups of 30 young men each. The participants were aged 16-20 years, self-identifying as black or African-American, sexually active, who owned a mobile phone and lived in Philadelphia. They received three text messages per week for 12 weeks. People in the intervention group received text messages about HIV prevention, while those in the control group received text messages about nutrition. The intervention participants showed trends in increased monogamy at follow-up compared to controls. Awareness of sexual health was significantly higher in the intervention group. Condom norms were significantly higher for the control group. There were no differences in the proportion of protected sex acts. The participants embraced the project, and were enrolled and retained in numbers that suggest such an intervention is worth examining for efficacy.