A Pilot Study of a Mobile Intervention to Support Mental Health and Adherence Among Adolescents Living with HIV in Western Kenya

Ashley Chory; Grant Callen; Winstone Nyandiko; Tabitha Njoroge; Celestine Ashimosi; Josephine Aluoch; Michael Scanlon; Carole McAteer; Edith Apondi; Rachel Vreeman

doi:10.1007/s10461-021-03376-9

A Pilot Study of a Mobile Intervention to Support Mental Health and Adherence Among Adolescents Living with HIV in Western Kenya

AIDS Behav. 2022 Jan;26(1):232-242. doi: 10.1007/s10461-021-03376-9. Epub 2021 Jul 22.

Authors

Ashley Chory^#¹, Grant Callen^#², Winstone Nyandiko^{3

4

5}, Tabitha Njoroge³, Celestine Ashimosi³, Josephine Aluoch³, Michael Scanlon¹, Carole McAteer³, Edith Apondi³, Rachel Vreeman^{6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Systems Design and Global Health, Arnhold Institute for Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1216 Fifth Avenue, Fifth Floor, Room 556, New York, NY, USA.
² Indiana School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
³ Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), Eldoret, Kenya.
⁴ Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret, Kenya.
⁵ Department of Child Health and Paediatrics, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya.
⁶ Department of Health Systems Design and Global Health, Arnhold Institute for Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1216 Fifth Avenue, Fifth Floor, Room 556, New York, NY, USA. Rachel.vreeman@mssm.edu.
⁷ Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), Eldoret, Kenya. Rachel.vreeman@mssm.edu.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Mobile technologies represent potentially novel and scalable intervention delivery platforms for adolescents living with HIV (ALWH) in low- and middle-income countries. We conducted a prospective, mixed methods pilot study to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of the WhatsApp^® platform to deliver individual counseling services and facilitate peer support for ALWH in western Kenya. Thirty ALWH (17 female, mean age 15.4) on ART, engaged in HIV care and aware of their status, were enrolled. After 6 months, participants described their experiences with the intervention. Treatment adherence, stigma, and mental and behavioral health were assessed prospectively. Participants reported overall positive experiences and indicated that the platform encouraged peer network development. They endorsed potential benefits for treatment adherence, stigma reduction, and mental and behavioral health. All participants supported intervention expansion. In western Kenya, WhatsApp^® was an acceptable and feasible platform for mobile counseling and peer support for ALWH.

Keywords: Adolescents; HIV; Kenya; WhatsApp; mHealth.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Female
HIV Infections* / therapy
Humans
Kenya
Mental Health*
Pilot Projects
Prospective Studies