Text Message Intervention Supports PrEP Adherence Among Some At-Risk Populations

An individualized daily text message intervention may support adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use in men who have sex with men and use stimulants, a patient population at increased risk of HIV infection.

The researchers aimed to measure the efficacy of the individualized Texting for Adherence Building (iTAB) intervention when compared with the current standard of care. A total of 119 men who have sex with men and who use cocaine, methamphetamine, and/or other amphetamine from the California Treatment Group 595 randomized trial were included.

Adherence to PrEP was measured as either non-adherence, adequate adherence, or near-perfect adherence. The levels of adherence were examined between the intervention group and standard care group at week 12 and week 48.

The results indicated that there was a 38% decrease in odds (odds ratio [OR] = 0.62; p = .023) of having near-perfect adherence vs other adherence levels at week 48 compared with week 12. This indicated a significant impact of time. However, the intervention arm effect was not significant in the final model.

Additionally, a follow-up analysis revealed that receiving iTAB trended towards higher odds (OR = 2.48; p = .061) of near-perfect adherence relative to adequate adherence when compared with standard care. Higher levels of HIV knowledge were associated with higher odds (OR = 1.72; p = .020) of near-perfect adherence vs other adherence levels.

“HIV knowledge may influence PrEP adherence, and most notably, the iTAB intervention may support near-perfect adherence relative to adequate adherence,” the researchers concluded.

Reference:

Serrano VB, Moore DJ, Morris S, et al. Efficacy of daily text messaging to support adherence to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among stimulant-using men who have sex with men. Subst Use Misuse. 2023;58(3):465-469. doi:10.1080/10826084.2023.2165409.