Formative Evaluation of an HIV Prevention App tailored for Latino Men Who Have Sex With Men: Acceptability and Usability Study.

BACKGROUND

HIV incidence is increasing among Latino gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Mobile phone apps represent an innovative tool to promote pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use, HIV testing, and condom use.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the acceptability and usability of Saludfindr, an Android-based HIV prevention app tailored to the needs of Latino MSM in the Atlanta area.

METHODS

We recruited adult Latino MSM to interact with the app for 4 months. Saludfindr included initial and periodic health assessments; provision of suggestions regarding PrEP, HIV testing, and condom use; in-app product ordering; customized motivational messages; a customized sexual health clinic list; and a "Contact Us" button. To assess acceptability, we measured use of each app feature, PrEP and HIV testing uptake, and participant ratings of the app's usefulness. We assessed usability using the System Usability Scale.

RESULTS

We enrolled 31 participants; the median age was 27 (IQR 24.5-32) years, 97% (30/31) were cisgender men, 81% (25/31) identified as MSM, and 61% (19/31) used the app in Spanish. All participants completed the initial health screening, with 84% (26/31) and 77% (24/31) completing the 2- and 4-month health screenings, respectively. Of all participants, 52% (16/31) and 23% (7/31) ordered condoms and home HIV tests through the app at least once, respectively. During the study period, 71% (22/31) of the participants got tested for HIV, of whom 68% (15/22) accessed it through clinic-based HIV testing. Of the participants not on PrEP at baseline, 41% (7/17) initiated PrEP during the study, and all of them did so at one of the clinics listed on the app. Saludfindr reached a System Usability Scale score of 74.5/100 (excellent).

CONCLUSIONS

Saludfindr was highly acceptable and usable among Latino MSM participants in the Atlanta area. In-app assistance to access PrEP and clinic-based HIV testing referrals was well received. Further efforts are needed to increase users' self-efficacy with home HIV self-testing.