Participants' comfort and technology-related distractions in a novel video-phone intervention for women living with HIV: Implications for technology-based public health

Background: A CDC-endorsed group-based “prevention with positives” program, Healthy Relationships (HR), was adapted for women living with HIV (WLH) and delivered via video-phones accessed in private rooms in community-based settings. We explored participants' comfort and distractions during video-group sessions conducted within an ongoing randomized controlled trial. Methods: WLH (ages > 18 years) were recruited from urban and rural locations. For each of 6 video-group sessions, post-session computer surveys assessed participants' video-phone-related comfort and the extent to which the technology distracted participants from the group experience. Results: Most intervention participants (N=43; Mean Age=42.8, SD=8.5) were Black/African-American (60.0%) or White/Caucasian (34.3%). Across sessions, participants reported high comfort (mean range=3.98-4.47/5) and low distraction (mean range=2.41-2.52/5). The lowest comfort was found in a session in which sensitive and personally relevant content was presented/discussed (i.e., domestic violence); the highest distractibility was found during a technologically complex session. A repeated measures ANOVA with a Greenhouse-Geisser correction determined that participants' comfort increased over time [F(3.1, 62.2) = 3.09, p=.003; partial eta-squared = .13], despite increased distraction over time [F(3.1, 62.2) = 3.09, p=.003; partial eta-squared = .13]. Conclusions: Although moderate levels of technology-related distraction were reported and increased over time, WLH reported high levels of video-phone comfort that increased longitudinally, as well. Despite technological distractions, WLH may be comfortable participating in interventions using video-groups and other advanced technologies. Studies that further explore the impact of such technologies on intervention experiences and outcomes will advance both research and practice. Other implications for technology-based public health will be discussed.