Feasibility of a Texting Intervention to Improve Medication Adherence Among Older HIV+ African Americans: A Mixed-Method Pilot Study

Autor: Marta E. Pagan-Ortiz MS, Paul Goulet BS, Laura Kogelman MD, Sue E. Levkoff ScD, SM, MSW, Patricia Flynn Weitzman PhD
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2019
Předmět:
Zdroj: Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Vol 5 (2019)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2333-7214
23337214
DOI: 10.1177/2333721419855662
Popis: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the primary treatment for HIV, and adherence to it is crucial to addressing health disparities. Approximately half of individuals in the United States living with HIV are African Americans, and those over 45 years of age are more likely to die early from HIV/AIDS than their White counterparts. This mixed-method pilot study evaluated the feasibility of a text-based mobile phone intervention designed to improve ART adherence among older African Americans with HIV. Feasibility was assessed via implementation, participant adherence, acceptability, and satisfaction, as well as short-term impact on medication adherence, adherence-related self-efficacy, and positive affect. The intervention utilized pill reminder, motivational, and health educational texts. Participants ( N = 21) ranged in age from 50 to 68 years. Outcomes were evaluated via quantitative results from self-report measures and qualitative data from four focus groups. There was no attrition in participation. After 8 weeks, participants reported statistically significant improvements in medication adherence, but not in self-efficacy or affect scores. Qualitative findings highlight the psychologically supportive potential of the intervention, challenges to adherence, as well as suggestions for improvement. The study demonstrates that a text messaging intervention may be feasible for older African Americans with HIV, and helpful in supporting ART adherence.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals