Trial results for a mobile health (mHealth) app designed to improve engagement in care among youth living with HIV were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2025-07-01. The pilot study successfully recruited 79 participants, demonstrating the app's feasibility and acceptability among young adults.
Background
In the United States, a significant challenge exists in achieving HIV viral suppression among youth living with HIV (YLWH), with fewer than 6% reaching this critical health outcome. This disparity extends across the entire HIV care continuum, linking younger age with later HIV diagnoses, reduced engagement in care, lower adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and ultimately, poorer clinical outcomes. To address this public health issue, a novel mobile health application, referred to as "WYZ," was developed and pilot tested to enhance engagement in healthcare and ART adherence among this vulnerable population.
Trial design
This completed pilot study, designated as Phase NA, enrolled a total of 79 participants. The trial focused on conditions including HIV/AIDS, Mobile Health, and Young Adults. The intervention involved the use of a mobile health application designed to support engagement in health care and ART adherence. The study's primary objective was to develop and pilot test this mobile health app, assessing its feasibility and acceptability.
Key results
The study reported several key measurements related to the feasibility and acceptability of the mHealth app:
- Feasibility: Rate of Participant Recruitment: The study successfully recruited 79 participants.
- Feasibility: Frequency of WYZ Access: Participants showed a mean of 5.3 logins per week (Standard Deviation 5.6).
- Feasibility: Length of Session (Minutes): The mean session length was 8.7 minutes per week (Standard Deviation 5).
- Feasibility: Rate of Use of ART Adherence Tracking: Participants tracked ART adherence a mean of 58% of the time per week (Full Range).
- Feasibility: Rate of Communication With Peers: The mean number of postings per person per week for peer communication was 4.8 (Full Range).
- Acceptability: Participant Retention: 69 participants were retained in the study.
- Acceptability: Overall App Experience: 53 participants reported on their overall app experience.
- Acceptability: Privacy, Security, and Anonymity: 69 participants provided feedback on privacy, security, and anonymity features.
- Acceptability: Continue Using WYZ: 57 participants indicated they would continue using the WYZ app.
What this means
The results of this pilot study suggest that a mobile health application like WYZ is a feasible and acceptable tool for engaging youth living with HIV. The successful recruitment of 79 participants and the retention of 69 participants demonstrate the ability to reach and sustain engagement within this population. The reported mean login frequency of 5.3 times per week and a mean session length of 8.7 minutes per week indicate consistent interaction with the app. Furthermore, the high rate of ART adherence tracking at 58% and positive feedback on privacy and willingness to continue using the app suggest that such an intervention could effectively support engagement in care and ART adherence, potentially addressing critical health disparities among young adults with HIV.
Source
The information for these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT03587857, titled "mHealth App for Engagement in Care Among Youth Living With HIV", were posted on 2025-07-01 on clinicaltrials.gov.