Planning the mPACT Trial - mHealth Strategies for the Pediatric to Adult HIV Care Transition

In contrast all other age groups, adolescents (age 10-19 years) have experienced constant, rather than declining, HIV-related mortality in the last decade. This is due in part to poor retention in care and adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in this age group. As youth living with HIV enter adulthood, they transition from pediatric to adult HIV care. The transition to adult care presents heightened challenges to retention, due to disruption of established relationships with pediatric healthcare providers and a shift to an adult care model that requires greater autonomy and offers less specialized support. Resources to support youth through the transition are lacking. Mobile technology for health promotion (mHealth) using social media is a promising approach to maintain engagement in care through the transition. mHealth reminders, education, and support from healthcare workers have been successful in improving ART adherence in the adult HIV care setting and there have been limited, though promising, results in youth care. This study will support the development of a novel mHealth strategy for the Pediatric to Adult HIV Care Transition (mPACT). The conceptual framework for this intervention is based on providing support to youth who are transitioning to adult care through a combination of virtual group peer support and 1-to-1 communication with a healthcare worker trained in youth HIV care. The aims of this study are to (1) identify the specific barriers to successful youth transition to adult HIV care, develop the mPACT intervention messaging strategy, and create a prototype of the mHealth platform; (2) Pilot the mPACT intervention to determine its effect on the intermediate outcomes of transition preparedness, ART knowledge, stigma, depression, social and caregiver support. Using an iterative mixed methods approach we will develop and pilot the mPACT intervention to improve transition to adult HIV care. Aim 1 focuses on identifying barriers, assessing user r