Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Jan 22, 2024
Date Accepted: Jun 27, 2024
Assessing the Effectiveness of an mHealth Intervention to Support Men Who Have Sex With Men Engaging in Chemsex (Budd): A Single-Case and Pre-Post Experimental Design Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
This study focuses on the Budd app, a mobile health intervention designed for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) who participate in chemsex. Chemsex, the use of psychoactive drugs in a sexual context, presents substantial health risks including increased HIV transmission and mental health issues. Addressing these risks requires innovative interventions tailored to the unique needs of this population.
Objective:
The primary aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Budd app in promoting harm reduction practices among its users, focusing on knowledge, behavioral intention, risk behavior awareness, and self-efficacy.
Methods:
The study combined a single-case and pre-post experimental design with 10 participants from an outpatient clinic. Data on behavioral determinants, chemsex participation, mood, app usage, and safe drug dosing behavior were collected.
Results:
The study observed an increased knowledge about chemsex substances post-intervention, with a mean percentage improvement of 20.59% among participants. Behavioral intention and self-efficacy showed mixed results, with some participants improving while others experienced a decrease. There was also a variable impact on awareness of risk behavior, with half of the participants reporting a decrease post-intervention.
Conclusions:
The Budd app showed effectiveness in enhancing knowledge about chemsex substances among gbMSM. However, its impact on safe dosing behavior, behavioral intention, self-efficacy, and risk behavior awareness was inconsistent. These findings suggest that while educational interventions can increase knowledge, translating this into behavioral change is more complex and may require more participants, a longer follow-up period, and additional strategies and support mechanisms.
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