Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Sep 14, 2022
Date Accepted: May 3, 2023
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Addressing Disparate HIV Outcomes Among Black Women living in Metro-Atlanta, GA: Implications for Designing mHealth Interventions using CBPR
ABSTRACT
Background:
About 1 in 48 Black women living in the U.S. will be diagnosed with HIV in her lifetime. Furthermore, 8 of 10 states with the highest rates of new HIV diagnoses are in the South where Black women account for 69% of these diagnoses, when compared to other ethno-racial groups of women. The study aims to (1) refine SavvyHER –a mobile app for HIV prevention– with Black women residing in high HIV incident areas of Georgia and (2) evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and usability of SavvyHER. This paper describes the procedures implemented to conduct this research.
Methods:
Community-based participatory research tenets, guide this mixed-methods study to finalize development of what we hypothesize will be a(n) effective, sustainable, and culturally relevant HIV prevention and optimal sexual/reproductive wellness app for Black women. The features of this app are informed by prior focus groups and in-depth interviews that gathered Black women’s preferences for the functionality and design of a mobile HIV prevention app. An app usability pre-test (n = 10) will be used to refine and optimize the SavvyHER app. The research team will conduct a pilot feasibility trial (n = 60) to finalize app content in preparation for a larger trial. Findings: Findings from preliminary focus groups reveal educational content, app aesthetics, privacy considerations and marketing preferred by Black women; thus, informing the first functional SavvyHER prototype. The app usability pre-test, now underway, will be followed by the pilot feasibility trial. We expect to gather pertinent information on the functionality, technical performance, errors and glitches and acceptability of SavvyHER. Implications: Previous studies demonstrate the advantages of mobile health apps for HIV prevention. However, these apps do not center the needs and concerns of Black women regarding their sexual/reproductive health. This research highlights the importance of health interventions curated for and by Black women that address critical HIV disparities amongst this population. The knowledge gained from this formative research will provide other researchers and community-based organizations with innovative approaches and models to address inequities in Black women’s sexual and reproductive health.
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