# A mobile phone intervention using a relational human talking Avatar to promote multiple stages of the HIV Care Continuum in African American MSM

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · 2020 · $763,093

## Abstract

ABSTRACT: HIV-positive African American men who have sex with men (AAMSM) have the lowest
percentage of retention in care and are less likely to have viral suppression, an outcome that relies on
antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. This proposal focuses on an innovative theory-driven intervention
aimed at helping to improve outcomes for AAMSM targeting 3 stages of the HIV Care Continuum, (1) retention,
(2) adherence to antiretroviral medication, and (3) viral suppression. My Personal Health Guide is an
innovative talking relational human Avatar mobile phone application to engage HIV-positive AAMSM in
adherence and retention in care. Development of this app was informed by the Information Motivation
Behavioral Skills Model that focuses on feedback between information and motivation that affect one's
behavioral skills, behaviors, and desired health outcomes. In the privacy of the user's home or anywhere they
have their phone, the Avatar can encourage healthy behavior, acknowledge stigma and speak with empathy,
audibly teach persons with low literacy, employ credible culturally appropriate phrasing, and invite the user to
hear advice and motivational stories of other HIV-positive people and their caregivers. A pilot study in HIV-
positive AAMSM ages 18-34 years demonstrated acceptability, enthusiasm for the app, and preliminary
efficacy. As part of a collaboration between UIC, Emory University, and the University of Mississippi Medical
Center, we propose to test the efficacy of the My Personal Health Guide Avatar application for young HIV-
positive AAMSM. In this 5-year study, the application will be refined based on pilot data (Aim 1) and then 250
HIV-positive AAMSM between the ages of 18-34 years with detectable viral load at baseline will be randomized
to the My Personal Health Guide Avatar application or a food safety Avatar application control intervention for a
6-month period (Aim 2). Wirelessly monitored ART adherence will be collected for 1-month at baseline and
then wirelessly monitored ART adherence, viral load, and clinic appointment data will be collected throughout
the 6-month follow-up period. We hypothesize that participants in the My Personal Health Guide intervention
will demonstrate significant improvements in ART adherence, viral load, and retention in care during the follow-
up period compared to control participants. We will also identify mobile phone application functions that are
associated with improvement in adherence in order to inform refinement of the application (Aim 3). We
hypothesize that more frequent use of Avatar information functions that included motivational messages will be
associated with improved ART adherence. This proposal is innovative in that it launches a new direction in
prevention and treatment research for young AAMSM, a population at increased risk for therapeutic failure and
poor retention in care, by using a relational talking human Avatar in a mobile phone to overcome the impact of
stigma and li...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9869914
- **Project number:** 5R01MH116721-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Mark S Dworkin
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $763,093
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-02-11 → 2023-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9869914

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9869914, A mobile phone intervention using a relational human talking Avatar to promote multiple stages of the HIV Care Continuum in African American MSM (5R01MH116721-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9869914. Licensed CC0.

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