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A Pilot Study of a Mobile App to Support HIV Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among Men Who Have Sex with Men Who Use Stimulants

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Abstract

APP+ is a theoretically-grounded mobile app intervention to improve antiretroviral (ART) adherence among men who have sex with men (MSM) who use stimulants. We assessed the feasibility and acceptability of APP+ in a six-month randomized controlled trial among a national sample of 90 MSM recruited online; secondarily, we examined changes in self-reported ART adherence by study arm. Retention at the final assessment was 82%, and acceptability ratings were comparable to other technology-based interventions. MSM in the APP+ group reported higher self-reported percentage ART adherence in the past 30 days at the four-month timepoint compared to a no-treatment control group (89.0% vs. 77.2%). However, once access to the app was removed after month four, group differences in ART adherence diminished by month six. APP+ may be a potentially promising intervention approach for MSM living with HIV who use stimulants but would require enhancements to optimize acceptability and demonstrate more sustained effects.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank participants for the time they offered during the conduct of this study. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R34DA033833. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 S. 2nd Street, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Keith J. Horvath, Sara Lammert, Richard F. MacLehose & Thu Danh

  2. Division of Infectious Diseases, Hennepin Healthcare, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Jason V. Baker

  3. Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Jason V. Baker

  4. School of Medicine, University of Miami, Coral Gables, USA

    Adam W. Carrico

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  1. Keith J. Horvath
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  2. Sara Lammert
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Horvath, K.J., Lammert, S., MacLehose, R.F. et al. A Pilot Study of a Mobile App to Support HIV Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among Men Who Have Sex with Men Who Use Stimulants. AIDS Behav 23, 3184–3198 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-019-02597-3

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