Feasibility of a Mobile Health Intervention for Providing a Continuum of HIV Services for MSM: Pilot Study of the WeTest Program in 3 Cities in China

Zhihui Zhu; Xiaoyan Lu; Pan Gao; Xiaodong Wang; Xuejiao Hu; Nianhua Xie; Cong Liu; Yue Zhao; Yanqiu Zhao; Zhen Dai; Hongbo Zhang; Jun Wang; Yehuan Sun; Tao Liu; Shufang Sun; Cui Yang; Nickolas Zaller; Zhihua Zhang; Don Operario

doi:10.2174/011570162X280190240105063449

Feasibility of a Mobile Health Intervention for Providing a Continuum of HIV Services for MSM: Pilot Study of the WeTest Program in 3 Cities in China

Curr HIV Res. 2024 Jan 19. doi: 10.2174/011570162X280190240105063449. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Zhihui Zhu¹, Xiaoyan Lu¹, Pan Gao², Xiaodong Wang³, Xuejiao Hu⁴, Nianhua Xie⁴, Cong Liu⁴, Yue Zhao⁵, Yanqiu Zhao⁵, Zhen Dai⁶, Hongbo Zhang⁷, Jun Wang⁷, Yehuan Sun¹, Tao Liu⁸, Shufang Sun⁸, Cui Yang⁹, Nickolas Zaller¹⁰, Zhihua Zhang¹, Don Operario¹¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
² Youth Public Health Service Center, Luyang District, Hefei, China.
³ Chengdu Tongle Health Consulting Service Center, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
⁴ Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
⁵ Suzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China.
⁶ Chengdu Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China.
⁷ Department of Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
⁸ School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, USA.
⁹ School of Public Health, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, USA.
¹⁰ Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, USA.
¹¹ Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, USA.

PMID: 38310468
DOI: 10.2174/011570162X280190240105063449

Abstract

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) in China have a high risk for HIV infection but experience suboptimal rates of HIV testing and service engagement due to various social and structural barriers. We developed a mobile health (mHealth) intervention entitled "WeTest-Plus" (WeTest+) as a user-centered "one-stop service" approach for delivering access to comprehensive information about HIV risk, HIV self-testing, behavioral and biomedical prevention, confirmatory testing, treatment, and care.

Objective: The goal of the current study was to investigate the feasibility of WeTest+ to provide continuous HIV services to high-risk MSM.

Methods: Participants completed a 3-week pilot test of WeTest+ to examine acceptability, feasibility, and recommendations for improvement. Participants completed a structured online questionnaire and qualitative exit interviews facilitated by project staff. "Click-through" rates were assessed to examine engagement with online content.

Results: 28 participants were included, and the average age was 27.6 years (standard deviation = 6.8). Almost all participants (96.4%) remained engaged with the WeTest+ program over a 3-week observational period. The majority (92.9%) self-administered the HIV self-test and submitted their test results through the online platform. Overall click-through rates were high (average 67.9%). Participants provided favorable comments about the quality and relevance of the WeTest+ information content, the engaging style of information presentation, and the user-centered features.

Conclusion: This pilot assessment of WeTest+ supports the promise of this program for promoting HIV self-testing and linkage to in-person services for MSM in China. Findings underscore the utility of a user-centered approach to mHealth program design.

Keywords: HIV prevention; HIV services; Men who have sex with men; WeChat.; mHealth; online intervention.