Maximizing Digital Interventions for Youth in the Midst of Covid-19: Lessons from the Adolescent Trials Network for HIV Interventions

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Lisa Hightow-Weidman, University of North Carolina; Kate Muessig, University of North Carolina; Kristina Claude, University of North Carolina; Jessica Roberts, University of North Carolina; Maria Zlotorzynska, Emory University; Travis Sanchez, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2020-04-18
• Publisher: Springer/Plenum Publishers
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10461-020-02870-w
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Aids and Behavior
• Volume: 24
• Issue: 8
• Start Page: 2239
• End Page: 2243
• Grant/Funding Information: None declared
• Keywords: Social Sciences, Biomedical; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Technology; Biomedical Social Sciences; Smartphones; Science & Technology; Social Sciences; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; Internet
• Research Categories: Engineering, Biomedical; Health Sciences, Human Development; Health Sciences, Public Health; Psychology, Behavioral

Abstract

Mobile technologies and social media offer powerful tools to reach, engage, and retain youth in HIV prevention and care interventions and deliver personalized, theory-based health content [1–3]. Technology use is ubiquitous among youth [4], from a variety of backgrounds and offers many opportunities for connecting youth to digital health interventions (DHIs), including those that address HIV prevention and care behaviors. HIV-focused DHIs are feasible and acceptable to youth, including sexual and gender minority youth, necessitating larger, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to demonstrate efficacy [2, 5, 6].