Randomized controlled trial of a HIV prevention app to increase pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake among gay and bisexual men who have sex with men in the United States: The HealthMindr PrEP study

Authors

Jeb Jones, Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
Isaac Schneider, Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
Rachel Valencia, Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
Samuel M. Jenness, Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
Gareth Butler, Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
Amanda D. Castel, Department of Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
Paige Kulie, Department of Epidemiology, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
Rob Stephenson, Department of Systems, Populations and Leadership, School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Joanne D. Stekler, Division of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Leandro Mena, Department of Population Health Sciences, John D Bower School of Population Health, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi.
Patrick S. Sullivan, Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

8-19-2025

Journal

Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999)

DOI

10.1097/QAI.0000000000003747

Keywords

HIV; intervention; mHealth; men who have sex with men; preexposure prophylaxis; randomized controlled trial

Abstract

BACKGROUND: We assessed an adaptation of a mobile HIV prevention smartphone app, HealthMindr-PrEP, to assess its effectiveness to increase pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake among gay and bisexual men who have sex with men (GBMSM). SETTING: This study was conducted online among GBMSM living in Ending the HIV Epidemic priority jurisdictions, primarily in the southern United States. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled trial in which participants were randomly assigned to receive the intervention app or an app that only allowed participants to track their study progress. The primary outcome was self-reported PrEP uptake. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare the rate of PrEP uptake across study arms. RESULTS: Although no results were statistically significant, the rate of PrEP initiation was higher among participants in the intervention arm compared to the control arm, particularly among participants with PrEP indications at baseline. Among those with PrEP indications at baseline, participants in the intervention arm had a 64% higher rate of PrEP initiation compared to the control arm (hazard ratio = 1.64, 95% CI: 0.89, 3.03). Among those without PrEP indications, the same hazard ratio was 1.05 (95% CI: 0.67, 1.66). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that HealthMindr-PrEP increases the rate of PrEP uptake compared to a standard of care control condition; however, we had insufficient statistical power for stratified analyses that demonstrated the strongest effect was among those who had PrEP indications at baseline.

APA Citation

Jones, Jeb; Schneider, Isaac; Valencia, Rachel; Jenness, Samuel M.; Butler, Gareth; Castel, Amanda D.; Kulie, Paige; Stephenson, Rob; Stekler, Joanne D.; Mena, Leandro; and Sullivan, Patrick S., "Randomized controlled trial of a HIV prevention app to increase pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake among gay and bisexual men who have sex with men in the United States: The HealthMindr PrEP study" (2025). GW Authored Works. Paper 7742.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/7742

Department

Epidemiology