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Assessing mobile technology use and mHealth acceptance among HIV-positive men who have sex with men and transgender women in Malaysia

Background Mobile health (mHealth) can be beneficial in monitoring the complex healthcare regimen for people with HIV that includes adhering to medication and refraining from risky practices such as unsafe sex and injection drug use. Not only is mHealth often implemented without appropriate feasibil...

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Main Authors: Krishnan, Archana, Weikum, Damian, Cravero, Claire, Kamarulzaman, Adeeba, Altice, Frederick L.
Format: Article
Published: Public Library of Science 2021
Subjects:
Q Science (General)
T Technology (General)
Online Access:http://eprints.um.edu.my/26833/
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248705
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spelling my.um.eprints.268332022-02-23T06:58:11Z http://eprints.um.edu.my/26833/ Assessing mobile technology use and mHealth acceptance among HIV-positive men who have sex with men and transgender women in Malaysia Krishnan, Archana Weikum, Damian Cravero, Claire Kamarulzaman, Adeeba Altice, Frederick L. Q Science (General) T Technology (General) Background Mobile health (mHealth) can be beneficial in monitoring the complex healthcare regimen for people with HIV that includes adhering to medication and refraining from risky practices such as unsafe sex and injection drug use. Not only is mHealth often implemented without appropriate feasibility and acceptability research, but there is limited mHealth research among key HIV-positive populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW). Methods This study assessed access to and use of mobile technology and acceptability of mHealth among 150 HIV-positive MSM and TGW who were prescribed antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Malaysia-an emerging economy with rapid telecommunications growth and societal stigma against these groups. Results Findings among the 114 MSM and 36 TGW reveal high levels of depression (42%), stigma (2.53/4.00) and risky sexual behavior (30%), and suboptimal ART adherence (22%). On the other hand, the sample had excellent access to smartphones (75.3%) and the internet (78%), and had high acceptance of mHealth especially for those with suboptimal ART adherence. Conclusion In settings like Malaysia where homosexuality and cross-dressing are socially and legally stigmatized, HIV prevention and treatment strategies delivered using an mHealth platform have the potential to overcome in-person barriers. Public Library of Science 2021-03-23 Article PeerReviewed Krishnan, Archana and Weikum, Damian and Cravero, Claire and Kamarulzaman, Adeeba and Altice, Frederick L. (2021) Assessing mobile technology use and mHealth acceptance among HIV-positive men who have sex with men and transgender women in Malaysia. PLoS ONE, 16 (3). ISSN 1932-6203, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248705
institution Universiti Malaya
building UM Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Malaya
content_source UM Research Repository
url_provider http://eprints.um.edu.my/
topic Q Science (General)
T Technology (General)
spellingShingle Q Science (General)
T Technology (General)
Krishnan, Archana
Weikum, Damian
Cravero, Claire
Kamarulzaman, Adeeba
Altice, Frederick L.
Assessing mobile technology use and mHealth acceptance among HIV-positive men who have sex with men and transgender women in Malaysia
description Background Mobile health (mHealth) can be beneficial in monitoring the complex healthcare regimen for people with HIV that includes adhering to medication and refraining from risky practices such as unsafe sex and injection drug use. Not only is mHealth often implemented without appropriate feasibility and acceptability research, but there is limited mHealth research among key HIV-positive populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW). Methods This study assessed access to and use of mobile technology and acceptability of mHealth among 150 HIV-positive MSM and TGW who were prescribed antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Malaysia-an emerging economy with rapid telecommunications growth and societal stigma against these groups. Results Findings among the 114 MSM and 36 TGW reveal high levels of depression (42%), stigma (2.53/4.00) and risky sexual behavior (30%), and suboptimal ART adherence (22%). On the other hand, the sample had excellent access to smartphones (75.3%) and the internet (78%), and had high acceptance of mHealth especially for those with suboptimal ART adherence. Conclusion In settings like Malaysia where homosexuality and cross-dressing are socially and legally stigmatized, HIV prevention and treatment strategies delivered using an mHealth platform have the potential to overcome in-person barriers.
format Article
author Krishnan, Archana
Weikum, Damian
Cravero, Claire
Kamarulzaman, Adeeba
Altice, Frederick L.
author_facet Krishnan, Archana
Weikum, Damian
Cravero, Claire
Kamarulzaman, Adeeba
Altice, Frederick L.
author_sort Krishnan, Archana
title Assessing mobile technology use and mHealth acceptance among HIV-positive men who have sex with men and transgender women in Malaysia
title_short Assessing mobile technology use and mHealth acceptance among HIV-positive men who have sex with men and transgender women in Malaysia
title_full Assessing mobile technology use and mHealth acceptance among HIV-positive men who have sex with men and transgender women in Malaysia
title_fullStr Assessing mobile technology use and mHealth acceptance among HIV-positive men who have sex with men and transgender women in Malaysia
title_full_unstemmed Assessing mobile technology use and mHealth acceptance among HIV-positive men who have sex with men and transgender women in Malaysia
title_sort assessing mobile technology use and mhealth acceptance among hiv-positive men who have sex with men and transgender women in malaysia
publisher Public Library of Science
publishDate 2021
url http://eprints.um.edu.my/26833/
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248705
_version_ 1735409464247320576
score 13.211869

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