Evaluation of Mobile Health Program for HIV Prevention Among Diverse Young Men of Various Ethnicities: Assessment of User Experience
MyPEEPS Mobile App Proves Effective for HIV Prevention Among Young Men
A new mobile health app, MyPEEPS Mobile, has shown promise in delivering HIV prevention information to young men aged 13-24, particularly among racially and ethnically diverse populations.
The app, which is a translation of an existing evidence-based, face-to-face HIV prevention curriculum into a portable platform, was recently evaluated for its usability. The study, conducted to assess the app's usability specifically for young men, involved both expert and end-user perspectives.
Five experts in informatics performed a heuristic evaluation to identify violations of usability principles. The mean scores of heuristic violations identified ranged from 0.4 to 2.6, indicating good design quality.
End user usability testing was conducted with 20 young men aged 15 to 18 years in New York, NY, Birmingham, AL, and Chicago, IL. The participants successfully completed tasks associated with use case scenarios, and the mean of the overall Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire scores rated by end users was 1.63 (SD 0.65), indicating strong user acceptance of the app.
End users also provided comments and recommendations on improving the usability of MyPEEPS Mobile. These insights will be used to refine the app before a pilot study.
The positive feedback from both experts and end users highlights the potential of MyPEEPS Mobile as an effective HIV prevention tool. The app's user-friendly design, combined with relevant content that supports HIV prevention behaviors and knowledge, makes it a promising intervention for young men at risk for HIV.
Recent research also confirms the feasibility and appropriateness of MyPEEPS Mobile for HIV prevention in young transgender men (YTM), reinforcing its potential impact in diverse youth populations at risk for HIV.
In summary, from both expert and end-user perspectives, MyPEEPS Mobile is an effective and feasible HIV prevention mobile health intervention for young men aged 13-24. The app's success in usability testing and its potential to positively impact diverse youth populations at risk for HIV makes it a promising tool in the fight against HIV.
- The usage of media analytics can help in assessing the effectiveness of MyPEEPS Mobile App in delivering HIV prevention information among young men.
- The smartphone-based app, MyPEEPS Mobile, demonstrates potential in promoting health-and-wellness, particularly in the areas of sexual-health and mental-health, as part of a comprehensive fitness-and-exercise and health-and-wellness lifestyle.
- Facial coding technology could be used to analyze the emotional responses of young men who interact with MyPEEPS Mobile, providing insights into the app's impact on their mental-health and interest in HIV prevention.
- As MyPEEPS Mobile continues to evolve, gadget manufacturers may consider integrating its features into their products to promote its use among young men and to support the importance of HIV prevention in smartphone technology.
- The success of MyPEEPS Mobile in HIV prevention among young men could inspire the development of similar health apps in the science of media analytics, expanding the reach of health-and-wellness interventions through the use of innovative technology.
