scholarly journals Development of the Mobile Technology Vulnerability Scale among Youth and Young Adults Living with HIV

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 4170
Author(s):  
Nadra E. Lisha ◽  
Torsten B. Neilands ◽  
Xavier A. Erguera ◽  
Parya Saberi
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Art Adherence ◽  
Single Factor ◽  
Cronbach’S Alpha ◽  
Cronbach's Alpha ◽  
Youth And Young Adults ◽  
Living With Hiv

Introduction: Youth and young adults living with HIV (YLWH) in the US have the lowest viral suppression percentage. Lack of sufficient technology access may be correlated with HIV health outcomes in this population. Methods: We developed a Mobile Technology Vulnerability Scale (MTVS; 18 items) among 18–29-year-olds. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed on baseline data (N = 79), followed by a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of 6-month follow-up data (N = 69). Cronbach’s alpha for internal consistency and test-retest reliability were examined. We also correlated the scale with self-report antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. Results: EFA yielded a single-factor solution at baseline after dropping one item. CFA at follow-up corroborated the single-factor. Cronbach’s alpha was high and MTVS was correlated with ART adherence at both time points. MTVS at baseline and 6 months were correlated. Conclusion: The 17-item MTVS scale was found to be valid and reliable and related to ART adherence.

scholarly journals WYZ: Results of a pilot study of a mobile health application for engagement in care and antiretroviral therapy adherence among youth and young adults living with HIV (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parya Saberi ◽  
Nadra E. Lisha ◽  
Xavier A. Erguera ◽  
Estie S. Hudes ◽  
Mallory O. Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Antiretroviral Therapy ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Pilot Trial ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Art Adherence ◽  
Engagement In Care ◽  
Youth And Young Adults ◽  
Living With Hiv

BACKGROUND Youth are globally recognized as being vulnerable to HIV. Younger age has been correlated with worse health outcomes. Mobile health (mHealth) delivered interventions have the potential to meet youth where they are, using a device they already access. OBJECTIVE Using pre-defined benchmarks, we sought to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of WYZ, an mHealth application, for improved engagement in care and antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among youth and young adults living with HIV (YLWH). WYZ was designed and developed with input from YLWH using a Human-Centered Design approach and based on the Information, Motivation, Behavioral Skills framework to address common barriers to care and ART adherence among YLWH. METHODS We recruited YLWH (18–29 years old) in the San Francisco Bay Area to take part in a six-month pilot trial. Their participation included completing a baseline and exit survey and participating in seven phone check-ins about their use of WYZ. RESULTS YLWH (N= 79) reported high levels of feasibility and acceptability with WYZ use. We met pre-defined benchmarks for recruitment, mean log-ins per week, tracking ART adherence, posting chat topics, and app crashes reported. Ease of app download, install, and set up, as well as comfort with security, privacy, and anonymity were highly rated. Additionally, participants reported high satisfaction for a research project that was remotely conducted. Participants used the app for shorter timeframes compared to the pre-defined benchmarks. CONCLUSIONS We noted high feasibility and acceptability with WYZ. Further research to examine the efficacy of WYZ will enable YLWH and their providers to make informed decisions when using, recommending, and prescribing it for improved engagement in HIV care and ART adherence. CLINICALTRIAL NCT03587857

scholarly journals Promising Approaches for Engaging Youth and Young Adults Living with HIV in HIV Primary Care Using Social Media and Mobile Technology Interventions: Protocol for the SPNS Social Media Initiative (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Medich ◽  
Dallas T Swendeman ◽  
W Scott Comulada ◽  
Uyen H Kao ◽  
Janet J Myers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Youth And Young Adults ◽  
Living With Hiv

BACKGROUND In the United States, disparities in the rates of HIV care among youth and young adults result from the intersections of factors that include stigma, substance use, homelessness or marginal housing, institutional neglect, and mental health issues. Novel interventions are needed that are geared to youth and young adults. OBJECTIVE In this paper, we aim to describe the interventions used by participating sites for Using Social Media initiative, the process for classifying the intervention components, and the methods for conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the interventions. METHODS In 2015, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) HIV/AIDS Bureau, Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) funded the Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center (ETAC) at the University of California, Los Angeles and 10 demonstration projects at sites across the United States that incorporated innovative approaches using a variety of social media and mobile technology strategies designed specifically for youth and young adults living with HIV. The ETAC developed a typology, or a classification system, that systematically summarizes the principal components of the interventions into broader groups and developed a multisite, mixed-methods approach to evaluate them based on the Department of Health and Human Services HIV health outcomes along the HIV care continuum. The mixed-methods approach is key to remove potential biases in assessing the effectiveness of demonstration projects. RESULTS This SPNS project was funded in September 2015, and enrollment was completed on May 31, 2018. A total of 984 participants have been enrolled in the multisite evaluation. Data collection will continue until August 2019. However, data analysis is currently underway, and the first results are expected to be submitted for publication in 2019. CONCLUSIONS This HRSA-funded initiative seeks to increase engagement in HIV medical care, improve health outcomes for people living with HIV, and reduce HIV-related health disparities and health inequities that affect HIV-positive youth and young adults. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR1-10.2196/10681

scholarly journals Qualitative Evaluation of Social Media and Mobile Technology Interventions Designed to Improve HIV Health Outcomes for Youth and Young Adults Living With HIV: A HRSA SPNS Initiative

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 693-704
Author(s):  
Ronald A. Brooks ◽  
Omar Nieto ◽  
Dallas Swendeman ◽  
Janet Myers ◽  
Ricardo Mendoza Lepe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Viral Suppression ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Qualitative Evaluation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Youth And Young Adults ◽  
Living With Hiv

Youth and young adults living with HIV (YYALH) are less likely to be engaged in HIV care, adhere to their medications, and achieve viral suppression compared to older adult populations. In the United States, the majority of YYALH belong to racial/ethnic, sexual, and gender minority groups. HIV care interventions are needed that specifically target YYALH and that exploit the use of social media and mobile technology (SMMT) platforms, where youth and young adults have a ubiquitous presence. We conducted a qualitative evaluation of SMMT interventions included in a Health Resources and Services Administration Special Projects of National Significance initiative designed to improve medical care engagement, retention, and medication adherence to achieve viral suppression among YYALH. However, in this study, only young adults living with HIV (YALH) ages 18 to 34 years participated. A total of 48 YALH were interviewed. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis and revealed three main themes supporting the usefulness of the SMMT interventions, which included (1) acceptability of SMMT interventions in managing HIV care with subthemes of medical information accessibility, reminders, and self-efficacy; (2) feelings of support and personal connection afforded by SMMT interventions; and (3) SMMT interventions help to alleviate negative feelings about status and mitigate HIV-related stigma. A few participants identified problems with using their respective intervention, primarily related to the functionality of the technologies. Overall, findings from our qualitative evaluation suggest that SMMT-based interventions have the potential to increase engagement and retention in care, support YALH in adhering to medication, and help them adjust to their diagnosis.

scholarly journals DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Cristina Mendes de Almeida-Cruz ◽  
Fernanda Maria Vieira Pereira Ávila ◽  
Carolina Castro Castrighini ◽  
Claudia Benedita dos Santos ◽  
Elucir Gir
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Exploratory Factor Analysis ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Cronbach’S Alpha ◽  
Cronbach's Alpha ◽  
Ceiling Effects ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
Development And Validation

ABSTRACT Objective: to develop and validate a scale to measure the quality of life of people living with HIV in Brazil. Method: methodological study conducted in a Brazilian care service specialized in sexually transmissible infections/AIDS between 2017 and 2019 addressing people living with HIV. The scale’s development and validation included exploratory factor analysis to describe its factor structure and psychometric properties, Multitrait-Multimethod analysis to verify its validity and Cronbach’s alpha for reliability. Floor and ceiling effects were described according to the responses’ frequency distribution. Results: a total of 460 people living with HIV participated. Most were men 276 (60.0%) aged 43 on average (SD=±12.4). The Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed four factors with 39.9% of explained variance. The total scale presented satisfactory reliability with a Cronbach’s alpha equal to 85.0%. Most items presented satisfactory convergent and divergent validity. The presence of floor and ceiling effects were found. The scale’s final version was composed of 45 items. Conclusion: the Quali-HIV Scale is a valid and reliable tool to measure the quality of life of people living with HIV.

scholarly journals The Consideration of Future Consequences Scale Among Malaysian Young Adults: A Psychometric Evaluation

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Long She ◽  
Lan Ma ◽  
Fatemeh Khoshnavay Fomani
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Construct Validity ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Cronbach’S Alpha ◽  
Consideration Of Future Consequences ◽  
Cronbach's Alpha ◽  
Future Consequences

Background: The consideration of future consequences (CFC) determines the extent to which individuals consider the potential future outcomes of their current behavior. The significance of assessing the CFC scale’s validation in different contexts has been acknowledged by the previous studies. While the majority of the studies have been conducted in western countries, no study has been conducted in Malaysia. The aim of the current study was to validate a Malaysian version of the CFC scale among Malaysian young adults.Methods: The methodological cross-sectional approach was adopted in this study. The study recruited 529 young adults (age range from 25 to 40) who fulfilled the inclusion criteria of the paper survey. Construct validity was assessed using content validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s omega, and average inter-item correlation (AIC) were used to assess the scale’s internal consistency. Also, composite reliability (CR) and maximal reliability (MaxR) were used to assess the construct reliability. Measurement invariance was tested across gender.Results: The findings of the exploratory factor analysis indicated that the Malaysian version of the CFC scale has a two-factor structure (i.e., CFC-Future and CFC-Immediate) with 10-item explaining 61.682% of the total variance. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the two-factor structure of the CFC scale with good construct validity. The internal consistency and CR were acceptable. [The Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s omega, and CR for CFC-I were 0.901 (CI 95%: 0.881–918), 0.901, and 0.887, respectively. Also, these parameters for CFC-F were 0.867 (CI 95%: 0.838–891), 0.868, and 0.867, respectively].Conclusion: We found acceptable psychometric evidence for the 10-item two-factors CFC scale used in the context of young adults in Malaysia. The validated instrument can be used in future studies to assess young adults’ CFC tendency and CFC-related behavior in Malaysia.

scholarly journals Validation of the Patient-Centred Care Competency Scale Instrument for Finnish Nurses

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 583
Author(s):  
Riitta Suhonen ◽  
Katja Lahtinen ◽  
Minna Stolt ◽  
Miko Pasanen ◽  
Terhi Lemetti
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Root Mean Square ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Item Analysis ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Mean Square ◽  
Cronbach’S Alpha ◽  
Patient Centred Care ◽  
Cronbach's Alpha ◽  
Confirmatory Factor

Patient-centredness in care is a core healthcare value and an effective healthcare delivery design requiring specific nurse competences. The aim of this study was to assess (1) the reliability, validity, and sensitivity of the Finnish version of the Patient-centred Care Competency (PCC) scale and (2) Finnish nurses’ self-assessed level of patient-centred care competency. The PCC was translated to Finnish (PCC-Fin) before data collection and analyses: descriptive statistics; Cronbach’s alpha coefficients; item analysis; exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses; inter-scale correlational analysis; and sensitivity. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were acceptable, high for the total scale, and satisfactory for the four sub-scales. Item analysis supported the internal homogeneity of the items-to-total and inter-items within the sub-scales. Explorative factor analysis suggested a three-factor solution, but the confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the four-factor structure (Tucker–Lewis index (TLI) 0.92, goodness-of-fit index (GFI) 0.99, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) 0.065, standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) 0.045) with 61.2% explained variance. Analysis of the secondary data detected no differences in nurses’ self-evaluations of contextual competence, so the inter-scale correlations were high. The PCC-Fin was found to be a reliable and valid instrument for the measurement of nurses’ patient-centred care competence. Rasch model analysis would provide some further information about the item level functioning within the instrument.

scholarly journals The development of a contextually appropriate measure of psychological distress in Sierra Leone

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Horn ◽  
Kanykey Jailobaeva ◽  
Stella Arakelyan ◽  
Alastair Ager
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Exploratory Factor Analysis ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Cronbach’S Alpha ◽  
Cronbach's Alpha ◽  
Distress Scale

Abstract Background Studies of psychological distress in Sierra Leone have typically used measures which were developed for use in other contexts, and which often have not been adapted or validated for use in Sierra Leone. This has resulted in a lack of reliable information about the patterns of psychological distress within the population, which is a barrier to the development of effective and appropriate mental health services. The aim of the study was to develop a locally-appropriate measure of psychological distress for Sierra Leone. Methods The new measure consists of two instruments: the Sierra Leone Psychological Distress Scale (SLPDS) and a gendered measure of ability to carry out daily tasks—a Function scale—as an indication of the severity of distress. A three-phase mixed methods exploratory sequential study was conducted. Phase 1 was item generation and testing, leading to the development of a set of potential items for both instruments. Phase 2 was a small pilot study (N = 202) leading to the selection of the final set of items for both measures. Phase 3 was a validation phase where the SLPDS and the Function scale were administered with a larger sample of 904 respondents. Item analysis was used to assess the internal consistency of the scales, and Exploratory Factor Analysis to explore the properties of the SLPDS. Results Exploratory factor analysis using the principal axis factoring with an oblique rotation identified a three-factor structure for the 18-item SLPDS. Internal consistency for the SLPDS (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.89) and three subscales was good (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.73). The internal reliability of the male and female versions of the Function scale was also found to be acceptable (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.90 for the female scale and 0.79 for the male scale). Conclusions Together the SLPD and Function scales provide a locally-validated tool which will enable government bodies and local and international non-governmental organisations in Sierra Leone to assess mental health and psychosocial needs. This will support both effective service provision and the evaluation of initiatives designed to improve mental health and psychosocial wellbeing.

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