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. 2016 Jul 28:16:656.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-3278-4.

Developing a mHealth intervention to promote uptake of HIV testing among African communities in the UK: a qualitative study

C Evans  1 , K Turner  2 , L S Suggs  3 , A Occa  3   4 , A Juma  5 , H Blake  2
Affiliations

Developing a mHealth intervention to promote uptake of HIV testing among African communities in the UK: a qualitative study

C Evans et al. BMC Public Health. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Background: HIV-related mHealth interventions have demonstrable efficacy in supporting treatment adherence, although the evidence base for promoting HIV testing is inconclusive. Progress is constrained by a limited understanding of processes used to develop interventions and weak theoretical underpinnings. This paper describes a research project that informed the development of a theory-based mHealth intervention to promote HIV testing amongst city-dwelling African communities in the conditions.

Methods: A community-based participatory social marketing design was adopted. Six focus groups (48 participants in total) were undertaken and analysed using a thematic framework approach, guided by constructs from the Health Belief Model. Key themes were incorporated into a set of text messages, which were pre-tested and refined.

Results: The focus groups identified a relatively low perception of HIV risk, especially amongst men, and a range of social and structural barriers to HIV testing. In terms of self-efficacy around HIV testing, respondents highlighted a need for communities and professionals to work together to build a context of trust through co-location in, and co-involvement of, local communities which would in turn enhance confidence in, and support for, HIV testing activities of health professionals. Findings suggested that messages should: avoid an exclusive focus on HIV, be tailored and personalised, come from a trusted source, allay fears and focus on support and health benefits.

Conclusions: HIV remains a stigmatized and de-prioritized issue within African migrant communities in the UK, posing barriers to HIV testing initiatives. A community-based participatory social marketing design can be successfully used to develop a culturally appropriate text messaging HIV intervention. Key challenges involved turning community research recommendations into brief text messages of only 160 characters. The intervention needs to be evaluated in a randomized control trial. Future research should explore the application of the processes and methodologies described in this paper within other communities.

Keywords: African; Community-based participatory research; HIV testing; Social marketing; Text messaging; mHealth.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Message development process
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