Jackson Jr Nforbewing Ndenkeh, PhD, MPH, is a Postdoctoral Associate, School of Nursing, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
LaRon E. Nelson, PhD, RN, FNP, FNAP, FNYAM, FAAN, is an Independence Foundation Professor, School of Nursing and Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS (CIRA), Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care. 2024;35(3):210-221. doi: 10.1097/JNC.0000000000000469. Epub 2024 Apr 3.
Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) are vulnerable populations to HIV/AIDS. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 637 AGYW in Cameroon to study the feasibility and willingness to use mobile applications (apps) for HIV testing, prevention, and treatment. We found that phone ownership is high among AGYW, where 93.9% ( n = 598) of them (median age: 22 years, interquartile range: 21-24 years) had access to a smartphone, 49.5% ( n = 315) frequently searched for health information, and 48.9% ( n = 312) frequently used health-related apps. AGYW's willingness to use mobile apps for HIV testing, prevention, and treatment were 87.9% ( n = 560), 84.4% ( n = 538), and 84.9% ( n = 541), respectively. The high willingness to use apps was associated with older age, HIV testing, and searching for health information on a phone. Barriers to willingness included having no internet access, concerns about internet cost and privacy, and lack of consistent access to a smartphone.
青少年女孩和年轻妇女（AGYW）是 HIV/AIDS 的脆弱人群。我们在喀麦隆对 637 名 AGYW 进行了横断面调查，以研究使用移动应用程序（apps）进行 HIV 检测、预防和治疗的可行性和意愿。我们发现，AGYW 拥有手机的比例很高，其中 93.9%（n=598）的人（中位数年龄：22 岁，四分位间距：21-24 岁）拥有智能手机，49.5%（n=315）经常搜索健康信息，48.9%（n=312）经常使用与健康相关的应用程序。AGYW 使用移动应用程序进行 HIV 检测、预防和治疗的意愿分别为 87.9%（n=560）、84.4%（n=538）和 84.9%（n=541）。高意愿使用应用程序与年龄较大、HIV 检测以及在手机上搜索健康信息有关。意愿的障碍包括没有互联网接入、对互联网费用和隐私的担忧以及缺乏对智能手机的持续访问。
